Bharti Airtel and Samsung have announced a partnership in support of the Airtel Rising Stars (ARS), the African under-17 grassroots soccer tournament.
Samsung will be the official device partner of the tournament through the multi-million dollar agreement.
Africa is the world’s youngest continent with 60 per cent of its population of one billion classed as youth.
George Ferreira, vice president and chief operating officer for Samsung, said: “The number of young people in Africa is forecast to double by 2045. Our youth have the potential to be a great impetus for Africa’s development, provided that an appropriate investment in human capital is made.
“This investment will help spotlight Africa’s potential, and we are proud to be associated with such developments.”
Andre Beyers, chief marketing officer of Airtel in Africa said: “The collaboration with Samsung will transcend the commercial arena and enable the Airtel Rising Stars tournament achieve greater scale and long term sustainability.”
In a statement, Airtel says it has a “robust commercial partnership” with Samsung, which recently announced it has plans to double its smartphone marketing on the continent as a strategy to bridge Africa’s digital gap.
Ferreira added: “Our consumers expect mobile devices to fit seamlessly into their lifestyles and open the way to new experiences and we are focussed on delivering on this promise through smart solutions for Africa.”
Bharti Airtel is a leading mobile service provider operating in 20 countries throughout Asia and Africa.
