Telecom
Encomiums, Joy as Airtel Adopts School in Kwara State
It was a day of songs, dance and encomiums when leading telecoms operator, Airtel Nigeria, commissioned its newly adopted, last week, in Offa, Kwara State.
Pupils, teachers and stakeholders in the education sector of Kwara State radiated with joy as Airtel unveiled the renovated blocks of classrooms and also donated toilet facilities, borehole for potable water, 400 school bags, 1, 400 note books, 400 uniforms, packs of pen among other items.
Pupils of Iyeru-Okin Primary School 1, Offa, Kwara State, Airtel’s newly adopted school, were in high spirit as they danced and sang in joy in appreciation of their newly renovated school.
The teachers also joined in the celebration as they showered encomiums on Airtel.
Under its Adopt-a-School CSR programme, Airtel Nigeria has now adopted the school to add to the list of schools it supports across the country.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony,Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, managing director and chief executive officer, Airtel Nigeria, said the Telcorecognised the interest of the state governmentin uplifting the standard of education in Kwara State and is therefore pleased to partner with the government and people.
According to Ogunsanya who was represented by the Company’s Chief Sales Officer, Godfrey Efeurhobo, Education is the bedrock of development of a nation and the best place to start is at the formative stage of children, noting that the Nigerian government has taken various initiatives in this direction but has often not reached the poorest section of the society.
He added that Airtel is committed to enriching the lives of key stakeholders in the communities it operates in, noting that the telco will continue to create opportunities to uplift underprivileged kids through its various CSR programmes.
“In recognition of the role education plays in the development of a country, Airtel Nigeria has decided, as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility vision, to adopt the primary school in Iyeru-Okin. Under our Adopt-a-School programme, we adopt government-owned schools located in poor, rural/semi urban communities and either rehabilitate or rebuild them, as the case may be, just as we have done here,” Ogunsanya explained.
The newly adopted Iyeru-Okin Primary School will join the four other Airtel adopted primary schools spread across Nigeria, namely Oremeji Primary School II, Ajegunle, Lagos; St. John’s Primary School, Oke-Agbo, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun; Community Primary School, Amumara, Imo and Presbyterian Primary School, Ediba, Cross River State.
While commending Airtel’s Adopt-a-School programme, Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Kwara, Mr. LamidAlabi, noted that Airtel’s CSR initiative connects with the state educational infrastructure development programme.
Gov. Ahmed said: “I understand that Airtel has upgraded 3 blocks of classrooms and equipped them with whiteboards, chairs and tables.
Furthermore, the company is providing uniforms, school bags for 400 hundred pupils including other support infrastructure and materials.
Clearly, what Airtel has done at this school deserves our commendation and applause.
The project represents a contribution to our educational development through corporate social responsibility intervention.”
He therefore praised the board, management and staff of Airtel for initiating and completing the project.
Other stakeholders in the state including the Olofa of Offa, His Royal Majesty, Oba MufutauGbadamosi; Permanent Secretary, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Musa Dasuki and the Education Secretary, Kwara State Local Government Education Authority, Mrs OlanipekunTunrayo also lauded the telecoms giant for touching the lives of pupils and teachers in Iyeru-Okin Primary School 1.
Head Teacher of the School, Mrs.Bambe Beatrice while praising Airtel for transforming the school noted that the plight of pupils and teachers in the school has been addressed by Airtel.
She recalled: “In the former structure learning was not pleasant due to many factors. Pupils used to go out of the premises to fetch water, classrooms were not conducive for learning, and there was inadequate furniture in the classes.
“But with Airtel’s intervention programme, everything has improved. We have good furniture in the classes, drinkable water and educational materials. Many parents now prefer to bring their children to this school. We can say that Airtel is God-led in this regard.”
Iyeru-Okin Primary School 1 is now the fifth primary school in Nigeria to be adopted by Airtel Nigeria. The four other schools adopted by the company are in Lagos, Ogun, Imo, Cross River.
Over the years, Airtel has brought notable transformation to these schools by providing ultra-modern blocks of classrooms, borehole for portable water, classroom furniture and also donating items such as uniforms, bags and educational materials like books, textbooks and pens on a yearly basis.
Last year, hundreds of pupils and teachers benefited from the Airtel free eye screening exercises conducted in the adopted schools.
In addition to these, several teachers in the schools have been trained by Airtel in collaboration with State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) of the various states.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
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