Airtel and Facebook to bring basic Internet services to Nigerians

-

Facebook Airtel Nigeria

Bharti Airtel Africa, a leading telecommunications service provider with operations in 17 countries across Africa, today announced that it has launched Free Basics in Nigeria in partnership with Facebook.
Nigerians with an Airtel mobile connection will be able to access all the services that are available through Free Basics without paying extra for data charges or rental. Free Basics provides basic mobile websites and services for free to people around the world and demonstrating the value the internet can provide.
Free Basics will launch in Nigeria with more than 85 free services dedicated to health, education, jobs, and finance.  To date, Facebook estimates that its connectivity efforts, which include Free Basics, have brought more than 25 million people online who wouldn’t be otherwise.
Airtel Africa will also be offering Facebook Flex in Nigeria, which allows people to access a version of Facebook without data charges. This initiative is part of Facebook’s commitment to bringing people online and reducing affordability barriers.
Christian de Faria, MD and CEO of Airtel Africa said, “We’re pleased to take this big step forward in our partnership with Facebook, bringing more people online in Africa’s most populous country and helping to further narrow the digital divide. This builds on our vision of using our widespread 3G network to help improve lives and communities by empowering them with access to digital content and services that are tailored to their needs.”
Segun Ogunsanya, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria commented: “Today marks a significant milestone in our nation’s drive towards deepening digital connectivity and enhancing mobile broadband access for millions of Nigerians in line with the key objective of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (NBBP). It is our belief that this partnership, the first of its kind in Nigeria, will create a plethora of opportunities for millions of Nigerians, empowering them to connect to their dreams, realize their full potentials, and succeed in their professional and personal endeavors.”
Airtel Africa has worked with Facebook since 2014 in enhancing accessibility to the internet in an affordable manner through the launch of Free Basics in Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Seychelles and Rwanda. With the launch of Free Basics in Nigeria, millions more people will have the ability to access basic services.
Chris Daniels, Vice President of Internet.org at Facebook, said: “Bharti Airtel Africa has been an important partner in bringing connectivity and access to people across Africa. Our partnership has played a key role in helping bring digital content and services to people and communities in growing countries.”
Ime Archibong, Director of Global Product Partnerships at Facebook, added: “We’ve spent time with the developer community here in Nigeria to understand how we can help people here build and create for their communities, and by bringing Free Basics to Nigeria we hope to provide another platform for developers to bring relevant services to people free of charge. At launch, we have more than 85 services included in Free Basics and hope to spur more development to bring relevant, basic services to Nigerians.”
Archibong continued: “We believe that local entrepreneurs and developers will be the ones to meet the needs of their immediate community, and we are working with developers to know how we can support them in doing so. Together, Facebook and the developer, entrepreneur and non-profit communities in Africa can still do so much more, and we will continue to invest in technology and partnerships to help people realise the benefits of connectivity.”

Culled: itnewsafrica.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Healthy diet for the rainy season

-
Image
Along with the showers comes the risk of various diseases like food poisoning, diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera. Again, in rainy season, digestion is generally weak. Therefore, you should eat less. It is also essential to fast once a week or fortnight. People eat some incorrect food during this time and fall sick. To protect your health, follow this dietary guideline: •Avoid heavy, salty food, as it promotes water retention and bloating. It is better to have medium or low salt food •Eat foods which are drying in nature, the most popular being corn, and oats, among others. Eating watery foods like rice and watermelon creates swelling in the body •Maintain the general hygiene while eating out and definitely avoid roadside vendors, as very few people have the high immunity to handle the bacterial overload at such places •The milk is the better diet in this season. Drink butter milk, as it improves digestion. Oily food should be taken in less quantity •Eat li...
Read more

Managing lactose intolerance in children

-
A concerned mom shared her experience with other mothers about the likely causes of diarrhoea in children: “When my daughter was two months old, she started having diarrhoea. I let this go on for a couple of days and then took her to our family doctor. The doctor told me that she has gastroenteritis (infectious diarrhoea). I was given oral re-hydration solution and Flagyl syrup. After a couple of days, she still wasn’t any better and I was at my breaking point. So, I scheduled an appointment with another doctor in order to get a second opinion. The new doctor that I now call my daughter’s pediatrician said that she didn’t think that the baby has gastroenteritis. She said that she was likely to be lactose intolerant and had colic. She told us that when a baby is developing intolerance to cow’s milk, a symptom of that is diarrhoea. So, she advised us to change her baby formula, and, immediately, the diarrhoea stopped.” Lactose (milk) intolerance happens whe...
Read more

When fibroid co-exists with pregnancy

-
Image
                        Dr. Samuel Adebayo Uterine fibroid, also known as Leiomyoma, is a benign (non-cancerous) tumour of the uterus (womb). Fibroids are the most common benign tumours in females and they occur during the reproductive years. They occur in up to 50 per cent of women. The exact cause of this tumour is unknown; but some factors are associated with increased chance of developing uterine fibroid. A family history is a factor. History of fibroid developing in women of the same family or race plays a role in a woman’s life. African women have between two and three times chances of developing fibroid than white women. Also, African women develop fibroid at a younger age, usually in their 20s and above, unlike white or caucasian women where fibroid may occur in their 30s or 40s. No pregnancy or low pregnancy rate increases the risk, just as early onset of menses...
Read more