Mission and strategic focus
Transforming the lives of people and communities
The Foundation’s vision is to contribute to a thriving and inclusive Africa, with a particular focus on underserved communities and those furthest from opportunity. Africa’s population is young and rapidly growing, presenting enormous potential but also significant challenges. Many of these young people lack the tools they need to progress, including digital skills, STEM education and financial literacy.
The Foundation’s programmes are designed to help close these gaps and create enabling environments in which individuals and communities can prosper.
How the Foundation operates
The Foundation adopts a pan-African strategy that is implemented locally through Airtel Africa’s OpCos and partners. This model enables the Foundation to scale proven interventions while tailoring delivery to local contexts, partner capabilities and national development priorities. Its programmes span education and livelihoods, reaching underserved and disadvantaged communities with practical solutions designed to expand impact and evolve over time. The Foundation is fully funded by Airtel Africa with a percentage of revenue from our 14 OpCos.
Governance and oversight
The Foundation operates independently and is governed by a Council which oversees its strategy and approves the annual budget in tandem with the guardian. Financial oversight is provided by the guardian who is the chief financial officer (CFO) of Airtel Africa. The Council members are Airtel Africa UK Limited and Bharti Airtel International (the Netherlands) (BAIN).
The Council has delegated most of the day-to-day activities to the Airtel Africa Charitable Foundation Committee, chaired by Olusegun Ogunsanya. The committee is responsible for programme delivery, funding allocation and ensuring clear accountability across all operations.
Where programmes are delivered in alliance with partners, the Foundation maintains clear roles and responsibilities for each partnership with ongoing oversight to monitor progress, share learnings and optimise impact. This approach prioritises transparency and a collective commitment to community outcomes.
Transforming lives in action
Equipping young women with digital skills for global careers
In 2025, the Foundation launched ‘Tech for her’, a free, five-week online training programme that equips young women with high-demand digital skills. The programme, launched in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia in partnership with Tertiary DNS, focuses on areas including cybersecurity, data analytics and Linux administration preparing participants for tech-related job opportunities globally.
The programme intentionally reserves 30% of seats for women in rural areas and 40% for applicants from low-income households. The first cohort in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia trained 300 young women aged 18 to 35.