Airtel Uganda has announced the completion of a two-year initiative to connect the country’s refugee camps and their residents to their fast, affordable and reliable network.
The initiative that kicked off in 2016 has seen the telecommunications company establish masts in and around more than 10 refugee camps located in different parts of the country.
Across the world, more than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their home countries, and about 1.4 million of these are in Uganda. This large number has attracted a host of Non-Governmental Organizations, which are providing relief services in form of post-trauma counseling, food, necessities and money.
Amid some social and economic problems, the camps have been facing connectivity issues making access to basic financial services almost impossible.
It is for this reason that Airtel has dedicated substantial resources to expand and upgrade their infrastructure in these different camps – in an effort to ease communication as residents search for long lost family members and also introduce them to financial services that they can leverage on to empower themselves.
Today, BidiBidi, Swinga, Akpopoa, Langi, Rwamwanja, Nakivale, Imvepi, Ailo camp, Lugbari and Palabek Ogili are all connected to Airtel’s network and can access 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity without leaving the camp. Airtel’s modernized network drives affordable communication, digital penetration, financial inclusion (aid to refugees is distributed through MM – Human Cash Transfers).