Starting on 5th February 2026, the lives of 20 Ugandans from underprivileged backgrounds will never be the same again, with their futures changed forever, thanks to the Airtel Africa Foundation Tech Fellowship.
Unveiled in Kampala, the Fellowship will sponsor 20 students to pursue science and technology degree programmes at leading Ugandan universities, through fully funded scholarships worth over UGX 3.85 billion (USD 1.024 million)spread over four years. The programme, which begins in February 2026, is designed to remove the financial barriers that keep talented young people out of higher education and out of Africa’s fast-growing digital economy.
Airtel Uganda Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Soumendra Sahu, framed the moment not as a routine corporate announcement, but as a turning point in human lives.
“Today is not an ordinary day. Today, twenty Ugandan lives quietly change direction. Today, talent finally meets opportunity,” Sahu said.
Removing the Fear That Breaks Academic Journeys
For the beneficiaries, the Fellowship is more than tuition support. It is a complete intervention in the anxieties that force many bright students to abandon their education midway—especially in expensive STEM tracks where tuition arrears, accommodation costs, and lack of academic tools can derail progress.
“By covering tuition, accommodation, academic materials, and a stipend, we are doing one simple but powerful thing,” Sahu said. “We are removing the fear of being discontinued on account of tuition fees. We are giving you the space to focus on learning, growth, and exploring your limitless potential.”
The selected students will pursue ICT and STEM-related programmes at some of Uganda’s most respected institutions, including Makerere University, Kyambogo University, ISBAT University, Uganda Christian University, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
“Relish the Moment”: A Promise That Talent Will Not Be Limited by Circumstance
Airtel Uganda Chairman Hannington Karuhanga told the students they should recognise the weight of what they had achieved, describing their selection as a hard-earned victory.
“To our students, you are lucky to have emerged from a tough selection process. Relish the moment,” Karuhanga said.
He described the Fellowship as a promise from Airtel Africa Foundation—one intended to expand opportunity and remove structural inequality from education.
“This fellowship is a promise to invest in the future of our young people, to open doors of opportunity, and to ensure that talent is never limited by circumstance,” he said.
A Pipeline for Uganda’s Most Urgent Digital Skills
The Fellowship is framed as a direct response to a continental reality that continues to suppress African potential: abundant talent, but limited access.
“Across Africa, brilliance is everywhere and opportunity is limited,” Sahu said. “When talent is denied access, societies lose innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders before they ever begin.”
Peter Mukuru has joined Uganda Development Bank as the Director Business Technology“The Airtel Africa Tech Fellowship exists to interrupt that story.”
In Uganda, this intervention comes at a time when the telecom and technology sectors are rapidly shifting away from traditional voice and SMS services into a data-driven ecosystem increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, and Data Science. Yet across the country, a persistent digital skills gap remains one of the biggest constraints to sustainable transformation.
By supporting students specifically pursuing ICT and STEM degrees, Airtel Africa Foundation is not only funding education—it is deliberately building a pipeline of future engineers, developers, cybersecurity specialists, and innovators capable of strengthening Uganda’s digital workforce and reducing long-term reliance on imported expertise.
“This Scholarship Gives Me the Chance to Pursue My Dreams”
For the 20 students, however, the story is deeply personal.
One of the beneficiaries, Edgar Baluku, a student at Uganda Christian University, described the scholarship as a turning point in his pursuit of a career in telecommunications engineering.
“I am very excited about this opportunity,” Baluku said. “I have been struggling, like many students, to get school fees for my education. This scholarship gives me the chance to pursue my dreams and make my parents and the entire clan proud.”
The credibility of the selection process was also emphasised, with Airtel publicly recognising Q-Sourcing for its role in vetting applicants.
Sahu thanked the partner for ensuring that “every applicant was seen, heard, and treated with dignity,” adding that their work “safeguarded the credibility of this fellowship.”
The Tech Fellowship also builds on Airtel’s wider portfolio of education and digital inclusion investments in Uganda. At the unveiling, Airtel pointed to the Airtel–UNICEF partnership, which has already connected over 84,000 learners in 246 schools across the country to digital learning.
Ultimately, the Airtel Africa Foundation Tech Fellowship is both a social and economic intervention. For the students, it is the end of uncertainty and the beginning of possibility. For Uganda’s ICT ecosystem, it is an investment in the architects of tomorrow’s infrastructure—young people who will design, build, and secure the systems that power the country’s digital future.
To the students, Sahu delivered a final charge that captured the spirit of the moment.
“You are the pioneers of tomorrow,” he said. “Use this opportunity to learn, to challenge yourselves, to innovate fearlessly, and to pay it back when the opportunity comes.”
