Airtel Africa unveils $500K fellowship program in Tanzania

Airtel Africa has rolled out its Airtel Africa Fellowship Program for Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras undergraduates in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

According to Airtel, 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 IIT Madras in Zanzibar.

IIT Madras Zanzibar is the institution's first campus outside of India.

"Starting with an outlay of US$500,000, this program will benefit 10 undergraduate students, for their entire course duration of four years," Airtel Africa said.

Fellowship details

Founded at the beginning of 2024 and headed by Airtel Africa's former CEO Segun Ogunsanya, the fellowship is open to students from 14 African countries namely: Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Madagascar and the Seychelles.

As Airtel Africa Fellows, scholarship recipients will have their entire $12,000 college fees covered for the full four-year program.

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 IIT Madras in Zanzibar. (Source: IIT Madras in Zanzibar)

Furthermore, they will receive $500 per year of the course to cover their cost-of-living expenses.

Ogunsanya said the telecommunications company is pleased to partner with IIT Madras Zanzibar to provide opportunities for young Africans to access quality education.

"This initiative aims to create a prosperous and sustainable continent. We look forward to creating even more opportunities in education, financial and digital inclusion, and environmental protection," he added.

Zanzibar Minister of Education and Vocational Training Lela Mohamed Mussa said providing access to high-quality education and financial assistance to students from Tanzania and the rest of the continent – who are topping the IIT Madras Zanzibar screening and test processes – is an important priority.

"We are thankful for this support from Airtel Africa Foundation, which will enhance our efforts in this direction," the minister concluded.

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa