Dar es Salaam. Airtel Africa, which operates in 14 countries across Africa, published its 2024 Sustainability Report on Monday June 10, highlighting a number of achievements across its key sustainability pillars.
The pillars, according to a statement made to the media in Dar es Salaam yesterday, include support for its people and communities, promoting financial and digital inclusion, and initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of its operations.
The statement quotes Airtel Africa’s outgoing Group CEO, Segun Ogunsanya, as saying: “I’m very proud of the strides Airtel Africa has made in advancing our sustainability goals. While targets are vital to driving change, our mission is much bigger: to transform people’s lives through connectivity, products and services that foster digital and financial inclusion while unlocking the potential of the next generation.”
According to the report, Airtel Africa continued to expand telecommunications services, supporting economic growth and development across the continent, with key milestones including growing the customer base to 152.7 million across 14 markets and attaining ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certifications.
The ISO 27001 and ISO 22301 certifications demonstrate Airtel Africa’s compliance with international standards and commitment to data privacy and security.
The company also expanded the 4G network to reach 70.7 percent of the population in the 14 markets, a 4.9 percent increase since 2022/23.
Airtel Africa also introduced 5G services, which currently cover 4.14 percent of customers, primarily in urban areas.
On the ‘Our people’ category, the report says Airtel Africa’s key milestones include increasing workforce and leadership diversity, with 35.4 percent of new or open leadership roles filled by women.
As such, the representation of women in senior management has risen to 22.3 percent, up from 19.5 percent the previous year.
The company, which invested $1.2 million in a training and development programme, also enhanced diversity and inclusion and advanced female talent through the ‘Women for Technology’ programme which benefited 54 high-performing women as of March 31, 2024.
In transforming the lives of individuals, families and communities across Africa, Airtel drove financial inclusion for unbanked populations by growing Airtel Money’s customer base to 38 million people.
The company also advanced digital learning across Africa through a five-year, $57 million partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), which seeks to connect almost 1,200 schools to the internet and provide free access to online educational platforms to thousands of students in 2023/24.
For the environment, the report says Airtel Africa published the ‘Journey Towards a Net Zero Future’ in May 2023, which outlines the scenarios for the reduction of scope 1 and 2 emissions while setting out a near-term target to reduce emissions intensity by 62 percent from the March 2022 baseline.
Among others, it also launched its new multi-million data centre business, Nxtra by Airtel, in December 2023 and began construction of one of Africa’s largest data centres in Lagos, Nigeria, which will incorporate modern energy efficiencies to complement the ongoing work on reducing carbon emissions across existing sites.
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Tanzania Confirms Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease
Dodoma — Tanzania today confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the northwestern Kagera region after one case tested positive for the virus following investigations and laboratory analysis of suspected cases of the disease.
President of the Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, made the announcement during a press briefing alongside World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in the country’s administrative capital Dodoma.
“Laboratory tests conducted in Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected with the Marburg virus. Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients tested negative,” the president said. “We have demonstrated in the past our ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this time around.”
A total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20 January 2025, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up, the president said. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo and Muleba districts in Kagera.
“We have resolved to reassure the general public in Tanzania and the international community as a whole of our collective determination to address the global health challenges, including the Marburg virus disease,” said H.E President Hassan.
WHO is supporting Tanzanian health authorities to enhance key outbreak control measures including disease surveillance, testing, treatment, infection prevention and control, case management, as well as increasing public awareness among communities to prevent further spread of the virus.
“WHO, working with its partners, is committed to supporting the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible, and to build a healthier, safer, fairer future for all the people of Tanzania,” said Dr Tedros. “Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease.”
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
“The declaration by the president and the measures being taken by the government are crucial in addressing the threat of this disease at the local and national levels as well as preventing potential cross-border spread,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “Our priority is to support the government to rapidly scale up measures to effectively respond to this outbreak and safeguard the health of the population,”
Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in March 2023 – the country’s first – in Kagera region, in which a total of nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were reported, with a case fatality ratio of 67%.
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In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials. Although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are currently undergoing clinical trials, there is no licensed treatment or vaccine for effective management or prevention of Marburg virus disease. However, early access to treatment and supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.
Source: allafrica.com
