Airtel reaches 4.14% 5G coverage, invests $1.2m in devt projects

Airtel said its Fifth Generation (5G) network deployment across some of its 14 countries of operation has reached 4.14 per cent even as it is investing $1.2 million in training and development programmes.

Airtel, which announced this in its 2024 Sustainability Report, disclosed that it continues to expand telecommunications services, supporting economic growth and development across the continent.

According to it, milestones include growing the customer base to 152.7 million across 14 markets; attaining ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certifications, which demonstrated Airtel Africa’s compliance with international standards and commitment to data privacy and security; expanding the 4G network and reaching 70.7 per cent of the population in these markets, a 4.9 per cent increase since 2022/23.

The firm said it is committed to creating a working environment where all employees can achieve their full potential. The milestones on this include increasing workforce and leadership diversity, with 35.4 per cent of new or open leadership roles filled by women, raising the representation of women in senior management to 22.3 per cent, up from 19.5 per cent the previous year; enhancing diversity and inclusion and advancing female talent through the ‘Women for technology’ programme, which benefitted 54 high performing women and resulted in a 21 per cent increase in internal promotions from this group as of  March 31, 2024.

On community development, Airtel said it is transforming the lives of individuals, families and communities across the continent by building opportunities for better futures.

The firm stated that it is driving financial inclusion for unbanked populations by growing Airtel Money’s customer base to 38 million people, saying this is particularly significant for the financial inclusion of women in Africa, who make up 38 per cent of its customers

According to it, advancing digital learning across Africa through the five-year $57 million partnership with UNICEF, connecting almost 1,200 schools to the Internet and providing free access to online educational platforms to thousands of students in 2023/24.

On its impact on the environment, Airtel Africa is working to address and minimise the impact of the company’s operations by publishing the ‘Journey towards a net zero future’ in May 2023, which outlines the scenarios for the reduction of scopes one and two emissions while setting out a near-term target to reduce emissions intensity by 62 per cent from March 2022 baseline.