Airtel Africa Foundation has teamed up with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA), and Cisco to expand digital skills training and Internet access across Rwanda.
The partnership was announced during the three-day Mobile World Congress in Kigali, held from October 21 to 23, 2025, and forms part of the Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative.
The effort aims to close the digital gap and promote inclusion by providing free connectivity and training to underserved communities, thereby supporting Rwanda’s progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
ITU will contribute training materials and create networking opportunities to share expertise and best practices in digital literacy.
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According to the Managing Director of Airtel Rwanda, Sujay Chakrabarti, the partnership represents a major step in strengthening Rwanda’s digital ecosystem and giving young people the tools they need to thrive in a technology-driven world.
“This partnership between the Airtel Africa Foundation, ITU, RISA, and Cisco marks a significant step forward in bridging the digital divide and empowering Rwandan youth with digital skills, and it is a powerful example of what happens when government, private sector, and international organisations come together to empower communities,” he said.
Through Airtel Rwanda, the Airtel Africa Foundation will equip DTC locations with routers, Wi-Fi, and data packages at no cost to support the rollout of training and access to digital learning platforms.
Esi Asare Prah, Head of Programs at the Airtel Africa Foundation, explained that the partnership underscores Airtel Africa’s ongoing commitment to national development and digital inclusion, noting that working with international partners like the ITU will help turn this shared vision into action and strengthen Rwanda’s digital future.
“This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting national development goals and closing the digital divide through meaningful collaboration. We are honoured to partner with ITU to bring this vision to life and contribute to Rwanda’s journey towards becoming a digitally empowered society,” she stated.
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Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Information Society Authority, Antoine Sebera, highlighted that the partnership demonstrated how collaboration can drive meaningful progress in digital inclusion and youth empowerment, noting that with around 900 million people in Africa still unconnected, greater efforts are needed to ensure no one is left behind.
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“What we are seeing here today is partnership in action, and statistics show that 900 million people in Africa remain unconnected; extra effort needs to be made to make sure that no one is left behind. This positions Rwanda a step ahead by being intentional in involving the youth. These centres are going to play a transformative role in educating the youth to leverage AI; digital transformation is driving the world, and Africa or Rwanda cannot be left behind,” he noted.
This partnership aligns with Rwanda’s ambition to become a knowledge-based economy and complements national programmes such as ‘Connect Rwanda’ that promote access to smartphones and digital services for underserved communities.
Emmanuel Mannaseh, Regional Director for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said the collaboration marks the start of a wider effort to boost digital skills and connectivity across Africa, beginning with Rwanda.
“Our partnership with Airtel Africa Foundation begins in Rwanda, where we are joining forces to strengthen digital skills in underserved communities to advance connectivity,” he said. “This initiative lays the groundwork for broader regional collaboration, as we aim to expand this work to other digital transformation centres across Africa.”