Bharti Enterprises Founder commends President Samia Suluhu Hassan for advancing digital adoption in Tanzania

President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan (center), poses with Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal (left), and Minister of Information, Communications, and Information Technology, Hon. Nape Nnauye, during a recent four-day state visit to India. Bharti operates Airtel Tanzania with a 49% stake owned by government of Tanzania.

President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan (right), engaged in conversation with Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal (third from the left), and his delegation. President Samia met with Bharti Enterprises during her recent four-day state visit to India recently. Bharti operates Airtel Tanzania with a 49% stake owned by government of Tanzania.

Dar es Salaam, October 12, 2023 — Bharti Enterprises Founder and Chairman, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, commended Her Excellency, President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, for the remarkable strides Tanzania has made in digital adoption.

Mr. Mittal, whose company operates Airtel Tanzania, in which the Government of Tanzania holds a 49% stake, expressed his sentiments during a meeting with President Samia during her four-day state visit to India. He reaffirmed Airtel's unwavering partnership with the Tanzanian government in its commitment to expediting digital adoption in the country.

Discussions in the meeting explored opportunities for enhanced collaboration in realising Tanzania’s digital ambitions, occasioned by the historic elevation of bilateral relations between the two countries.

In a notable aimed at enhancing accessibility and efficiency of communication services to achieve at least 85% internet penetration by 2025, the Government of Tanzania and Airtel Tanzania signed an agreement for a project designed to install 758 communication towers across the country.

Mr. Dinesh Balsingh, Managing Director of Airtel Tanzania, affirmed company’s commitment to working closely with the Government of Tanzania to bring the digital economy agenda to fruition, enabled by strengthened ICT infrastructure.

"Following the granting of a license by the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority to operate the 2Africa submarine cable in August 2022, Airtel Tanzania recently launched two significant projects, namely, the 2Africa submarine cable and Airtel's 5G network. These project, which were unveiled at a ceremony graced by Her Excellency, Mama Samia, will go a long way in contributing to enhanced digital connectivity in the country," said Mr. Balsingh.

He added, "Airtel services have been expanding across the nation, now covering up to over 80% of rural areas, we have successfully deployed our 4G network technology on Airtel's towers, extending coverage to 90%, with the introduction of 5G technology, we are dedicated to ensuring that Tanzanians have improved access to communication services and faster internet."