HYDERABAD: Airtel Africa Foundation has announced ‘Airtel Africa Fellowship Programme’ for undergraduate students at IIT Madras Zanzibar, the first-ever foreign campus established by an IIT.
As part of the programme, deserving students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at IIT Madras Zanzibar will get financial support.
It is a maiden initiative undertaken to enhance educational opportunities for meritorious students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, enrolled at IIT Madras Zanzibar, a release said.
The programme is aimed at supporting students from 14 African countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Niger, Chad, Congo B, Gabon, Madagascar, and Seychelles.
As part of the initiative, 10 undergraduate students will be provided support for their entire course duration of four years, starting with an outlay of US$ 500,000.
Students will be given 100% of their college fees (US$12,000) as per the course fee structure of the Institute for a four-year programme.
Additionally, US$500 will be given to all eligible students to cover the living expenses.
Commenting on the scheme, Zanzibar’s Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Lela Mohamed Mussa highlighted that IIT Madras Zanzibar is charting a wonderful path in technical education in the region as well as expressed his gratitude to Airtel Africa Foundation for providing access to high-quality education to students from Tanzania and the rest of the continent.
Dr Olusegun Ogunsanya, Chairman of the Airtel Africa Foundation, said that he was 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,” Ogunsanya added.