Airtel Africa Foundation unveils ‘Airtel Africa Fellowship Program’ to empower students at IIT Madras Zanzibar
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.”
