By Mark Kawalya
Airtel Africa plc and American Tower Corporation (ATC) announced that they have entered a multi-year, multi product partnership that will leverage ATC Africa’s large portfolio of communication sites and product development experience to support Airtel Africa’s network rollout drive.
The partnership is geared towards enabling the two companies to substantially increase network connectivity on the continent, boost digital inclusion for Africa’s underserved communities and implement their mutual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions goal.
While offering remarks on the agreement, Airtel Africa’s CEO, Segun Ogunsanya, noted that
“Airtel has once again demonstrated its commitment to creating value for customers and shareholders by subscribing to an environmentally sustainable growth model. Airtel Africa’s corporate citizenship requires us to extend coverage to increasingly remote areas – and meeting this obligation is necessary to establishing a sustainable partnership with a like-minded industry players.”
Under the agreement, new site development will all conform to ATC Africa’s green site specifications, which are projected to considerably cut down reliance on fossil fuels. Similarly, these will help advance ATC’s progress toward achieving its science-based targets. (SBTs)
Moreover, the agreement is anticipated to cut down on the exposure to fuel price volatility that both Airtel Africa and ATC Africa contend with.
“Over the last several years, ATC Africa has made forward-thinking investments to ensure we achieve tangible reductions in our on-site fossil fuel consumption in Africa,” Marek Busfy, SVP and CEO of ATC Africa, stated.
The two firms will partner in providing information and communications technology skills to underserved communities as part of their Digital Communities programs. There are plans to deploy more than 200 digital communities in Africa over the next couple of years.
ATC Africa has so far invested about $300 million in energy efficient technology, renewable energy implementation and energy storage solutions. This is a move aimed at decreasing on-site dependence on fossil fuels. Additionally, the firm has reserved funds for the execution of future energy efficiencies.
“As we selectively extend the platform services we offer, we are demonstrating our commitment to introduce new and renewable sources of energy to power our sites, which protects the industry, our customers and consumers from ongoing and future volatility in fuel prices. Airtel Africa’s environmental goals are aligned with ours and as we expand our digital reach on the African continent, we remain committed to reducing GHG emissions in tandem with our growth.” Busfy added.
