The Airtel
Africa Foundation has announced the launch of the prestigious ‘Airtel Africa
Fellowship Program’ for the undergraduate students at IIT Madras Zanzibar, the first-ever
foreign campus established by an IIT. The Fellowship aims to support deserving
students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds enrolled in the Bachelor of
Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the Indian Institute of
Technology Madras (IITM) in Zanzibar. Starting with an outlay of US$500,000,
this program will benefit 10 undergraduate students, for their entire course
duration of 4 years.
Founded in 2024 with a vision to foster a prosperous Africa, the Airtel
Africa Foundation is dedicated to advancing digital and financial inclusion
across the continent along with key focus on education and environmental
protection. This Fellowship is the maiden initiative undertaken to enhance
educational opportunities for meritorious students, especially from
disadvantaged backgrounds, enrolled at IIT M Zanzibar. It is designed to
support students from 14 African countries, which are namely Nigeria, Kenya,
Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Niger, Chad, Congo B, Gabon,
Madagascar and Seychelles.
Recipients of this scholarship will be known as ‘Airtel Africa Fellows’.
They will receive 100% of their college fees i.e. US$12,000 as per the course
fee structure of the Institute for a 4-year program. Additionally, to cover the
living expense cost, US$500 will be given to all eligible students. This
initiative will aspire to transform, shape lives and nurture future leaders who
will contribute to technological innovation and economic growth of Africa.
Commenting on the fellowship scheme, Zanzibar’s Minister of Education and
Vocational Training, H.E. Ms Lela Mohamed Mussa said, “IITM Zanzibar is
charting a wonderful path in technical education in the region. Providing access
to this high quality education to students from Tanzania and the rest of the
continent, who are topping the IITM Zanzibar screening and test processes,
through financial assistance, is an important priority for us. We are thankful
to this support from Airtel Africa Foundation, which will enhance our own
efforts in this direction.”
The Chairman of the Airtel Africa Foundation, Dr. Olusegun Ogunsanya said,
“We are pleased to partner with IIT Madras Zanzibar to provide opportunities
for young Africans to access quality education. This initiative aims to
contribute towards creating a prosperous and sustainable continent. We look
forward to creating even more opportunities not just in education, but also in
financial and digital inclusion, and environmental protection”.
The Director of IIT Madras, Prof. V. Kamakoti said, “IIT Madras is
committed to establishing a world class campus in Zanzibar. We are delighted
that Airtel Africa Foundation is joining hands with us in this effort. We look
forward to welcoming the second cohort of bright young students to the IITM
Zanzibar campus this year. We are immensely grateful to Airtel Africa
Foundation for providing financial assistance for these future global leaders.”
