Giga amidst the depressing news about waning support to the UN, I visited a project today where there is support, optimism and impact for the world’s most disadvantaged. Some five years ago UNICEF and ITU joined forces with one goal: To ensure universal access to the internet for all schools everywhere by 2030. Connectivity improves school attendance and learning outcomes. It provides access to improved education and remote learning opportunities. It thus reduces the massive global inequalities in the provision of education. GIGA as the initiative is known (https://lnkd.in/d4qUehvg) is mapping schools across the world and facilitating connectivity. In five years they have managed to connect 18,000 schools and are well on the way to supporting the connection of 100,000 more benefitting tens of millions of kids. GIGA with Swiss support have also just opened a connectivity center in Geneva as a hub to bring together all those involved in promoting affordable, safe public access to the internet. The programme benefits from the charismatic and indefatigable leadership of Chris Fabian, pictured below.

🔥 PamojaNet. Community-Driven Internet in DRC 🇨🇩🌐✨ In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where internet access is scarce and expensive in rural areas, local innovators launched PamojaNet, a community-built and community-owned internet network on the island of Idjwi (Lake Kivu). Instead of waiting for big telecom companies, the community set up their own Wi-Fi hotspots powered by solar energy, giving residents access to education, health information, and digital opportunities. 🌟 Why PamojaNet is groundbreaking: ✅ Community Ownership. Run and managed by locals, ensuring sustainability 🤝 ✅ Bridging the Digital Divide. Brings affordable internet to previously unconnected areas 📲 ✅ Solar-Powered. Uses clean energy to keep the network running ☀️ ✅ Replicable Model Can be adapted for other rural African communities 🌍 At the CWEI Festival 2026, PamojaNet is a powerful story of digital inclusion, showing how innovation doesn’t always need to come from Silicon Valley or big corporations. Sometimes, it’s born out of necessity by communities determined to connect to the world. 🔗 Learn more: PamojaNet DRC #CWEIFestival2026 #DRCInnovation #DigitalInclusion #CommunityInternet #AfricaRising

Africa’s future is being shaped in classrooms, labs, and community tech hubs. As we mark the International Day of Science, Technology, and Innovation for the South, we spotlight the urgent need to invest in STEM across the continent. With youth making up 1.2 billion of the global population and over 50% of many African countries’ populations under the age of 25, the talent exists. What’s missing is bold, sustained investment in engineering, healthcare, and digital innovation. By 2030, young Africans will make up 42% of the world’s youth and 75% of those under 35 within Africa itself. Inclusive, locally rooted innovation isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity. #ZellaTechLaw #AccessEngageInfrom #STIForTheSouth #STEMAfrica #AfricanInnovation #ScienceForDevelopment #YouthInTech #WomenInSTEM #DigitalFutures

The future of Africa is NOT waiting at the edge of a screen, BUT at the tail of an idea, fully formed in the minds of young Africans. Picture a classroom where the light stays on even when the grid blinks because learning has a backup plan. Where “after school” quietly becomes “community time,” and a room of desks doubles as the village’s digital doorway. Where the internet isn’t a luxury, but a lifeline, and every click feels like a small, certain future. Now stretch that picture across a whole continent, across cities, townships, and the places between fifty-four maps’ worth of young minds stepping onto the same digital stage. Not by chance, but by design: devices that actually reach classrooms, connections that actually hold, spaces that actually serve everyone. What’s coming is not just devices. It is not just the internet. It is not just training. It is a carefully built ecosystem. A sight of power where there was none, connectivity where silence once lived, and skills where barriers once stood. This isn’t a charity drop-off; it’s an ecosystem built to last. Designed with purpose, to quietly rewrite possibilities in a digital world. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when digital access becomes equal and technology leaves no one behind, you’re about to find out. #AREAi #AREAi4Africa #LearningWithoutBarriers #Project54 #DigitalAccess #PoweringAfricasFuture

Connectivity is no longer a luxury it’s the foundation of modern economies. That’s why the recent Airtel Africa partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink is more than a telecoms deal. It’s an economic catalyst. Here’s why it matters: 📡 Bridging the Digital Divide With licenses secured in 9 African countries (and more pending), satellite internet can finally reach remote schools, rural health centers, and underserved SMEs. Access to reliable connectivity means access to opportunity. 💰 Boosting Local Economies Every 10% increase in broadband penetration can add up to 2% to GDP in emerging economies (World Bank). For Africa’s rural communities, this means farmers accessing market prices in real time, artisans reaching customers globally, and startups scaling beyond city borders. 🌱 Accelerating Local Development 🔹Education: Imagine students in Turkana, Northern Nigeria, or rural Malawi joining global online classrooms. 🔹Healthcare: Telemedicine becomes real when reliable bandwidth exists. 🔹Entrepreneurship: Internet isn’t just consumption it fuels local innovation. ⚖️ The Balancing Act But let’s be clear satellite internet is not a silver bullet. Affordability, infrastructure integration, and local content ecosystems must be part of the design. Otherwise, we risk widening, not closing, inequality. The real question: 👉 How do we ensure that connectivity translates into inclusive economic development rather than just new bills for households? If Starlink + Airtel is done right, it won’t just connect Africa to the world it will connect Africa to its own future. #AfricaTech #DigitalInclusion #FutureOfWork #Connectivity #Starlink #LocalDevelopment

East Africa’s education system is at a digital crossroads. Key highlights: • Less than 20% of youth access vocational training • 70% of inquiries vanish before admission • 4M+ unskilled entrants join the workforce annually • Institutions risk missed enrollments, brand credibility, and weak industry alignment The solution isn’t more capacity — it’s digitization. Centralized systems, faster conversions, seamless communication, and real-time data can turn leaks into lasting growth. That’s where OttoScholar comes in helping institutions move from chaos to clarity. DM us to explore how OttoScholar can help your institution lead this transformation. #EastAfricaEducation #DigitalTransformation #EdTechInnovation #WorkforceDevelopment #VocationalTraining #FutureOfSkills #InstitutionalGrowth #AdmissionsStrategy #GrowthJockey #VentureArchitect #OttoScholar

It’s the early 1990s. The internet is young, clunky, and painfully slow. But something groundbreaking happens: for the first time ever, humans send internet data… not through a cable… but through space. 🚀 The world’s first satellite internet connection. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t cheap. But it was proof of something bigger: 📡 The internet could reach anyone, anywhere. Fast-forward to today: Entire villages connect where no fiber cable exists. Students in remote areas access the same knowledge as cities. Businesses in underserved regions can trade globally. Satellite internet didn’t just connect machines — it connected people. And that’s the kind of story that keeps inspiring us at Afrikanet: building bridges where others see barriers. 💡 #TechStories #Innovation #SatelliteInternet #Afrikanet

airtel Africa is investing in the continent’s digital future. Through a partnership with UNICEF, the company is rolling out scholarships, smart classrooms and digital hubs across 14 African countries aiming to reach 10 million people by 2030. Initiatives include connecting schools to the internet and devices, offering full tech scholarships, training over 17,000 teachers and piloting community tech hubs in Nigeria and the DRC. This is a strong example of how private sector collaboration can advance education, digital inclusion, and innovation across Africa. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d-DXYpYw #AirtelAfrica #EdTech #DigitalEducation #TechForGood #AfricaRising #Innovation

So here we go! After a long journey to the DRC, and despite the challenges of conflict in the region, I had the great opportunity to visit Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Kolwezi, and Kalemie. These cities are not only known for their mineral wealth, but also hold tremendous potential for young people—they represent emerging hubs of future technology. Tanganyika Province, with Kalemie at its heart, has all the potential to become a hub for lithium, green energy, and battery fabrication—an engine for the green transition in Africa. As Founder & Director of Collège international Lepieux , it was a proud moment for me to see the exciting progress of our school’s construction. Covering up to 10,800 square meters land , this is just the beginning of a much bigger vision. (If you have never built something from the ground up, you cannot imagine the pain, effort, and sacrifice behind it!) But every step is worth it. During my journey, I also had the privilege of engaging in meaningful discussions with Governors, University Rectors, Ministers, and leaders from schools and universities across the country. These conversations confirm that Congo’s future lies not only in its natural resources, but also in its people and their ideas. Collège international Lepieux as established with a clear mission: to nurture emerging engineers from high school in this region and DR Congo in general , preparing the next generation to lead in technology, science, and innovation. Step by step, Tanganyika Province is positioning itself as a hub of knowledge, innovation, and technology for the future. A heartfelt thanks to everyone contributing to the success of this vision. Special appreciation to Samuele Leanza , Roberto Ferulano PhD for their generous sponsorship—already donating 106 computers, with 50 more still to come. Many thanks as well to those who donated advanced electronics lab equipment (digital multimeters, power supplies, oscilloscopes, etc.), giving our students hands-on access to essential tools for learning and innovation. I am also deeply grateful to Professor Dr Salvatore Pennisi , not only for building vital connections with European companies—opening new doors of collaboration and opportunity—but also for his personal encouragement and constant push that helped me make this vision a reality. Finally, my sincere gratitude goes to His Excellency Dr Paul-Emile Tshinga Ahuka , Ambassador of the DRC in Italy , whose support and facilitation made these important appointments possible. The journey has just begun—but one thing is clear: We are not just building a school, we are building the future.

Paratus EduLINK is bringing Starlink-enabled high-speed internet to schools across Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zambia. With 2 TB of priority data per month and local support, schools are moving from isolation to innovation. Explore Paratus EduLINK and how we’re empowering education: https://lnkd.in/dwW9jh-R #ParatusEduLINK #EmpoweringEducation #DigitalClassrooms