Airtel Africa has announced plans to establish technology hubs in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of efforts to boost digital skills across its 14 markets on the continent. The initiative, unveiled at a World Press Conference in Lagos on Tuesday, is being championed by the Airtel Africa Foundation under its CEO, Segun Ogunsanya.
According to Ogunsanya, Nigeria is strategic to Airtel Africa’s vision of improving 10 million lives by 2030, making it one of the first beneficiaries of the tech hub programme. The hub will be designed to foster the growth of digital talent and provide resources for startups in fintech, software development, and other digital solutions. He explained that the project would complement the government’s 3 Million Technical Talent programme, which Airtel is already supporting with the training of 25,000 Nigerians.
“We are currently assessing partners that we’re going to work with to deliver this tech hub. Once we are done, we will build one in Nigeria and the second one in the DRC,” Ogunsanya said. Airtel Africa CEO, Sunil Taldar, added that the Group has committed a seed fund to deliver tailored solutions that address community needs and maximise impact.
The Foundation’s broader plan is to directly improve the lives of 10 million Africans by 2030 through initiatives focused on Financial Empowerment, Education, Environmental Protection and Digital Inclusion. These will include free connectivity and devices for schools, undergraduate scholarships in tech and STEM, and mentorship programmes under the Airtel Africa Fellowship. Earlier this year, the Nigerian government received a ₦1 billion grant from Airtel Africa Foundation to support the 3MTT initiative, following a similar ₦1 billion deal with IHS Towers in 2023.
