Airtel Africa and the American Tower Corporation (ATC) have announced a deal that will see the two parties enter a beneficial multi-year and multi-product transaction. The idea here is that Airtel Africa will leverage ATC’s substantial communications sites, new sites and product development capabilities across its 14 markets in the continent, including Kenya, Niger, Nigeria and Uganda.
This transaction will support Airtel Africa’s network rollout. The plan is to:
- Increase connectivity
- Extend digital inclusion to underserved communities
- Advance their mutual greenhouse emissions reduction goals
All new site development under the agreement will comply with ATC’s new green site specifications, which will substantially reduce reliance on fossil fuels, while advancing American Tower’s progress toward achieving its Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Furthermore, this strategic partnership is expected to reduce exposure to fuel price volatility for both ATC and Airtel Africa. The parties have also committed to continuing working together to convert existing telecommunication sites to ATC’s green site specifications over time.
Airtel Africa and ATC will partner to provide training around information and communications technology skills to underserved communities as part of their respective kiosks and digital communities’ programs.
Under this partnership, it is expected that in the coming years more than 200 digital communities will be deployed in these markets.
American Tower has reportedly invested approximately $400 million in energy efficiency improvements, renewable energy deployments, and energy storage solutions to decrease on-site reliance on fossil fuels. The company has also earmarked additional investments to fund the implementation of future energy efficiencies.
Quotes
“Airtel Africa’s corporate citizenship requires us to extend coverage to increasingly remote areas – and meeting this obligation is necessary to establish a sustainable partnership with a like-minded industry player. We continue to invest in infrastructure and distribution networks across the countries where we operate to support their economies and communities. Sustainability is at the core of our strategy, driven by our corporate purpose to transform lives across Africa and support people, businesses, and governments in getting access to better connectivity,” said Segun Ogunsanya, CEO of Airtel Africa.
