Airtel Africa Foundation

What Airtel Africa Foundation does

Airtel Africa Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Airtel Africa plc, a London-listed telecommunications group operating across 14 sub-Saharan African countries serving a combined population of 365 million. Incorporated in 2024 and headquartered in Dubai (DIFC), the Foundation is a private non-profit organization funded by its parent company and governed by a committee chaired by former Airtel Africa CEO Olusegun Ogunsanya. It does not sell products or services; its activity consists of grants, scholarships, and program implementation structured around four pillars branded as "FEED" — Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Digital Inclusion.

The Foundation's core programs include the Connecting Schools Programme (delivered with UNICEF, providing free internet, devices, and zero-rated learning platforms to 3,296 schools across 13 countries and reaching over 2 million learners), the Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship (full STEM undergraduate scholarships launched in Nigeria, Uganda, and DRC), a School Adoption Programme for infrastructure upgrades, a Skills Development Programme encompassing Tech For Her and 3MTT, Digital Communities innovation hubs, a Financial Inclusion Programme for entrepreneurs, and Environmental Stewardship initiatives. Strategic partners include UNICEF, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), RISA, Cisco Networking Academy, and ATC.

The business model is a single-funder corporate philanthropy: Airtel Africa plc provides the budget, and the Foundation deploys it via direct in-country program teams, multilateral partnerships, and grantmaking. In FY 2025/2026 the Foundation invested $6.2 million across its 14 operating markets. The Foundation has set a public target to improve 10 million lives in Africa by 2030, and reports outcomes annually, including metrics such as 37+ million monthly logins on its learning platforms and a 243% increase in course completion on the Learning Passport in Gabon.

Name

Airtel Africa Foundation

Legal name

Airtel Africa Foundation

Website

https://airtelafricafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Airtel Africa Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Airtel Africa plc, deploying $6.2 million in FY 2025/2026 across 14 sub-Saharan African countries through education, digital inclusion, financial inclusion, and environmental programs serving schools, students, and entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Philanthropic foundation services
• Education scholarship programs
• Digital inclusion initiatives
• Financial inclusion programs
• School connectivity programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Airtel Africa Foundation is a registered charitable foundation that delivers social impact programs across 14 African countries under the FEED framework (Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Digital Inclusion). It provides scholarships, grants, school connectivity infrastructure, digital skills training, micro-entrepreneurship support, and environmental stewardship initiatives, funded primarily by Airtel Africa plc and delivered in partnership with organizations such as UNICEF, ITU, Cisco, and IIT Madras.

Product overview

Airtel Africa Foundation is a philanthropic organization operating across 14 African countries, structured around four core impact pillars: Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Stewardship, and Digital Inclusion (FEED). The Foundation offers multiple interconnected programs including the Connecting Schools Programme (providing free internet and digital learning platforms to schools), the Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship (full STEM scholarships), School Adoption Programme (infrastructure upgrades), Skills Development Programme (Tech For Her and 3MTT initiatives), Digital Communities (innovation hubs), Financial Inclusion Programme, and Environmental Stewardship. These programs work together through strategic partnerships (notably with UNICEF, ITU, and Cisco) to transform lives by promoting economic empowerment, quality education, environmental sustainability, and digital inclusion. The Foundation also operates volunteer and mentorship programs including Career Coaching and the AAF Tech Fellows Mentorship Program, providing a comprehensive ecosystem for youth development across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Inclusion Programme Program that supports micro-entrepreneurs and small business owners across Airtel Africa's 14-country footprint, helping them access mobile money, savings, and credit tools. Targeted at individuals in underserved communities who lack formal financial services access.
• Connecting Schools Programme Program that installs broadband internet, IT laboratories, and digital devices in partner schools, and provides zero-rated access to approved educational content on the Airtel network. Delivered in partnership with UNICEF and aimed at underserved public schools across 13 African countries.
• Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship Fellowship program that identifies, trains, and supports top-performing young African tech talent, including a fully funded Master of Science pathway at IIT Madras and mentorship programs. Targeted at aspiring African software engineers, data scientists, and technology professionals.
• School Adoption Programme Program that fully adopts selected underserved public schools, providing infrastructure improvements, IT laboratories, internet connectivity, devices, and ongoing support. Targeted at public schools in underserved African communities.
• Environmental Stewardship Programme Program that delivers environmental sustainability initiatives, including tree-planting campaigns and ecosystem restoration, across Airtel Africa's 14 countries. Targeted at communities and ecosystems affected by environmental degradation.
• Skills Development Programme Program that delivers digital and entrepreneurship skills training to African youth, including the Tech For Her sub-program for women in technology and partnerships with national skills initiatives such as Nigeria's 3MTT. Targeted at young Africans seeking employability and entrepreneurship outcomes.
• Digital Communities Programme Program that establishes and operates digital communities and innovation hubs providing co-working spaces, digital literacy support, and access to technology resources. Targeted at underserved African communities and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,296 schools connected to internet, supporting over 2 million learners
• +5 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partnership to enhance digital skills and connectivity in Rwanda through Digital Transformation Centres (DTC). Announced during Mobile World Congress in Kigali (October 21-23, 2025). Initiative provides infrastructure and training to underserved communities to bridge the digital divide.
• RISAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partnership to enhance digital skills in Rwanda as part of the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) effort. Collaborates with ITU and Cisco to provide infrastructure and training to bridge the digital divide.
• Cisco Networking AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partnership to enhance digital skills in Rwanda through Digital Transformation Centres. Provides training content and certifications for digital skills development in underserved communities.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-African partnership launched in 2021 to accelerate digital learning as a public good. The program connects schools to internet, provides zero-rated learning platforms, empowers teachers with digital tools, and advocates for digital education policies. By end of 2025, had reached millions of learners across 13 countries. Focus areas include school connectivity, teacher empowerment, and systems-level advocacy using UNICEF-ITU's Giga initiative data.
• ATCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Digital Communities program to provide underserved populations with access to digital infrastructure and resources. ATC partnership supports the establishment of modern innovation hubs and IT centers.
• Financial Institutions and OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with organizations and institutions to deliver financial literacy and planning workshops, and improve access to financial resources for hard-to-reach communities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mastercard Foundation: Large global philanthropic foundation focused on education and financial inclusion in Africa, including the 'Young Africa Works' strategy. Operates at much larger scale but shares the youth-employment, education, and digital-skills agenda that Airtel Africa Foundation targets.
• Google.org: Philanthropic arm of Alphabet focused on digital inclusion, education, and economic opportunity globally. Comparable on the digital-skills and education mission (3MTT-like initiatives), though operating at materially larger scale.

Direct peers

• Safaricom Foundation: Corporate philanthropic arm of Safaricom (Kenya), running education, health, and economic empowerment programs across East Africa. Directly comparable as a telco-affiliated foundation operating in Airtel's footprint with similar scholarship and digital-inclusion mandates.
• Cisco Networking Academy: Global ICT education program that already partners with Airtel Africa Foundation on Digital Transformation Centres in Rwanda. Comparable in delivering digital-skills curricula and certifications to underserved learners.
• Vodacom Foundation: Corporate foundation of Vodacom Group, a major African mobile operator with overlapping markets (South Africa, DRC, Tanzania, Mozambique). Comparable in scope (education, connectivity, youth skills) and structure (telco-affiliated grantmaking).
• MTN Foundation: Philanthropic vehicle of MTN Group, the largest pan-African telco and Airtel Africa's principal competitor. Comparable scale, geographic footprint overlap, and education/digital-skills focus make it a direct strategic peer.
• UNICEF Learning Passport: UNICEF's digital learning platform used in Airtel-UNICEF connected schools; comparable as the underlying product enabling the foundation's zero-rated learning platform outcomes (37M monthly logins, 243% Gabon course-completion uplift).

Regional players

• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Pan-African philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship and economic empowerment across all 54 African countries. Strongly comparable on the Financial Inclusion and entrepreneur-support pillar (Airtel Africa Foundation's 510 entrepreneurs supported maps directly to TEF's entrepreneurship mandate).

Others

• ITU Digital Transformation Centres: ITU-led network of digital skills training centres co-funded with partners like Cisco. Direct comparison to Airtel Africa Foundation's Rwanda DTC partnership under the same programmatic umbrella.
• UNICEF Giga Initiative: UNICEF/ITU initiative to connect every school to the internet. Airtel Africa Foundation is an implementing partner; Giga is a comparable effort in the same connected-schools space and a likely co-funder / competitor for ministry partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airtel-africa-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airtel Africa Foundation