Airtel Africa Launches Fellowship Program at IITM Zanzibar to Empower African Students
The Airtel Africa Foundation has introduced the ‘Airtel Africa Fellowship Program’ at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Zanzibar (IITM Zanzibar). This initiative supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of integrating Africa into the global economy, highlighted by the African Union’s recent inclusion in the G20.
Launched with an initial funding of USD 500,000, the program will benefit 10 undergraduate students enrolled in a four-year Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at IITM Zanzibar. The fellowship covers full tuition fees of about USD 12,000 and provides a USD 500 stipend for living expenses.
Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal emphasized the importance of private sector investments in Africa, while Airtel Africa Foundation Chairman Dr. Olusegun Ogunsanya expressed excitement about partnering with IITM Zanzibar to offer quality education to young Africans.
The Director of IIT Madras, Prof. V. Kamakoti, and Zanzibar’s Minister of Education, H.E. Lela Mohamed Mussa, praised the program for its focus on providing high-quality education and financial assistance to deserving students from across Africa.
Airtel Africa is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services in 14 African countries.
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Airtel Africa -: Airtel Africa is a company that provides mobile phone and internet services in many countries in Africa.
Fellowship Program -: A fellowship program is a special kind of scholarship where students get money to study and sometimes also get extra help like mentoring.
IITM Zanzibar -: IITM Zanzibar is a branch of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) located in Zanzibar, an island in Africa.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi -: Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister of India, which means he is the leader of the Indian government.
USD 500,000 -: USD 500,000 means five hundred thousand US dollars, which is a lot of money used to help students in this program.
Undergraduate students -: Undergraduate students are people who are studying for their first degree at a college or university.
Data Science and AI -: Data Science and AI are fields of study where people learn how to use computers to understand data and make smart decisions.
Stipend -: A stipend is money given to students to help them pay for their living expenses while they study.
Innovation -: Innovation means creating new ideas or products that can make things better or easier.
Skill development -: Skill development means learning new abilities or improving the ones you already have to do something better.