Africa (Commonwealth Union)—Airtel Africa Foundation has launched a daring Undergraduate Tech Scholarship Programme aimed at incubating the next generation of Nigerian digital innovators and leaders. Launched by the Chairman of the Foundation, Dr. Segun Ogunsanya, at a world press conference in Lagos, the program will train 100 outstanding undergraduate students undertaking technology-oriented courses across Nigeria.
This cutting-edge program offers total sponsorship for tuition, accommodation, study materials, and a subsistence allowance from the university from the first year through graduation. By removing financial constraints, Airtel is opening doors for young Nigerians to focus on building the technical skills that will shape Africa’s destiny in the digital age.
The scholarship targets students of computer science, information technology, data science, software engineering, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. For Dr. Ogunsanya, the program is proof of Airtel Africa Foundation’s constant resolve to “create opportunities where talent meets ambition.” He emphasized that the scholarship is more than a financial award; it is a long-term investment in the continent’s most valuable asset: its youth.
Beneficiaries have been selected from seven leading public universities, including the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), University of Benin (UNIBEN), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), and Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED). These were selected on account of high academic achievement and contribution to technology education.
Airtel Nigeria CEO Dinesh Balsingh referred to education as the cornerstone of the company’s corporate social responsibility program. He clarified that the scholarship is complementing Airtel’s existing programs, such as its UNICEF-funded Reimagine Education Programme, the Adopt-A-School program, and the ₦1 billion investment in the Federal Government’s Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program. “To empower the future, we must endow it with frontier education,” he added.
Airtel Africa Foundation’s FEED agenda—Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Protection, and Digital Inclusion—has a central part of this scholarship program. In the process, Airtel strengthens Nigeria’s education system and empowers a new generation to drive Africa towards the global tech revolution.
