Hashize umwaka ninjiye mu nshingano nk’umuyobozi wungirije ushinzwe itumanaho muri Airtel Africa, ikigo mazemo imyaka 21 (imyaka 20 nari muri Nigeria).

Si igihe cyo gukora isuzuma ry’akazi kanjye (nzagakorana ubushake) cyangwa kwizihiza isabukuru; ubwo nari muri Kenya mu bihe byashize nitabiriye inama yahuje Airtel Africa na Unicef, byanteye gusubiza amaso inyuma ntekereza ku kazi dukora hamwe na bagenzi banjye ku bufatanye n’inshuti zacu zo muri Unicef kuva mu 2022, tugeza ku bana ba Afurika, abayobozi b’ahazaza, uburezi bushingiye ku ikoranabuhanga.

Reka ntangirire ku bintu bibabaje, nemera ko Afurika kuri ubu yicaye ku gasozi kanyerera ku bijyanye no guha uburezi abana bayo barushaho kwiyongera hamwe n’urubyiruko.

Ikigero cy’intege nke mu burezi (kuba abana badashobora gusoma inyandiko yoroheje ku myaka 10) hirya no hino ku mugabane, ni ikintu kibabaje mu gihe n’ibarurishamibare rigaragaza ko abana bata ishuri ari benshi.

Iki kibazo cyatijwe umurindi n’ingaruka z’icyorezo cya Covid-19 cyatumye habaho za Guma mu Rugo n’amashuri agafungwa. Mu rwego rwo kubisobanura neza, ndagira ngo ngaragaze ko raporo ya Banki y’Isi yo mu 2019 yerekanye ko 48% by’abana ku isi hose na 87% muri Afurika yo munsi y’ubutayu bwa sahara biga nabi.

Nta kintu gishobora kubera inzitizi ahazaza h’umugabane nko kuba abarenga 70% mu baturage bawo batiga neza kuko bigira ingaruka ku bukungu. Sinshaka gutinda cyane ku byiza by’uburezi bwiza kuko bimaze kumenyekana ko ari ikintu cy’ingenzi mu gutuma sosiyete igira umurongo uhamye.

Na none, birazwi neza ko uburezi ari nk’urwego; bufasha kuziba icyuho hagati y’abakire n’abakene. Birabaabje kandi ko umuntu mwiza uburezi bumugira mwiza kurushaho ariko umubi na none bumugira mubi kurushaho nk’uko twabibonye mu ngero zitandukanye aho abantu bajijutse bakoresheje ubumenyi bwabo mu gukora ikibi. Bivuze ko uburezi birangira butanze amahirwe yisumbuyeho kurenza igihe budahari. Ubujiji si amahitamo.

Ku rundi ruhande, birazwi ko Covid-19 n’ingaruka mbi zayo zose, yafunguye amaso y’Abanyafurika n’abayobozi babo bamenya imbaraga z’uburezi n’akamaro n’ubwihutirwe bwo gutegura uburyo bwo kwiga hakoreshejwe ikoranabuhanga mu bihugu bitandukanye.

Tugomba kumenya ko buri guverinoma muri Afurika yashyizeho ingamba, nubwo hakirimo ibitagenda neza, zo kugeza ku bana bayo, abarimu n’amashuri urubuga atari uguteza imbere gusa ahubwo no kuvugurura imyigire n’imyigishirize.

Aha ni ho sosiyete z’ikoranabuhanga nka Airtel Africa yateye intambwe ngo itange umusanzu muri iyi gahunda y’ingenzi. Kimwe n’abandi benegihugu bafite inshingano muri sosiyete, Airtel Africa binyuze mu bikorwa byayo mu bihugu 14 ikoreramo muri Afurika, yifatanyije n’abayobozi ba Afurika mu kuziba icyuho mu myigire cyatewe n’ifungwa ry’amashuri mu gihe cya Covid-19.

Ku ruhande rwayo, Airtel Africa, yafashije za guverinoma gushyiraho imbuga n’uburyo bwo kwigisha no kwiga hakoreshejwe ikoranabuhanga nubwo bitakemuye ibibazo byose byari bihari. Urugero, hari abana babarirwa muri za miliyoni batashoboraga kugera ku masomo yo kuri internet bitewe n’ubukene cyangwa aho baherereye. Ahandi ntibyashobokaga kugera ku mbuga bitewe n’ibura rya internet kuko mu bice byinshi by’umugabane wa Afurika umubare w’abafite telefone ukiri muto (abaturage batunze telefone ku baturage 1000).

Ku bw’ibyo byuho bikomeye no ku bw’imbaraga zo kubasha kugera kuri internet, byatumye Airtel Africa ihaguruka ikurikirana icyerekezo cyayo cyo guhindura ubuzima bw’Abanyafurika, ishora miliyoni 57 z’amadolari mu gushyigikira uburezi bufite ireme.

Mu gihe Covid-19 yari icanye maremare, Airtel Africa yashyize ahagaragara gahunda yayo y’ubufatanye bw’imyaka itanu na Unicef mu gushyigikira uyu mugambi, amashuri 1400 akazahabwa internet ndetse abanyeshuri bagera kuri miliyoni bakabona uburezi hakoreshejwe ikoranabuhanga.

Ntekereza ko nta bufatanye buruta ubu hagati y’ibigo bibiri birajwe ishinga no gushyira imbaraga zabyo mu hazaza h’umwana w’Umunyafurika. Ku ruhande rwanjye, nagize amahirwe yo kuyobora itsinda rya Airtel Africa mu gutegura no gutangaza gahunda n’ibikorwa by’uyu mushinga w’ingirakamaro.

Mu gihe nkora iyi nyandiko, ibihugu bitatu birimo Kenya, Nigeria na Madagascar byatangije iyi porogaramu.Ibindi bihugu 10 birimo Chad, Niger, RDC, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda n’u Rwanda bizayitangiza ku mugaragaro ku wa 31 Werurwe 2023.

Gutangiza ku mugaragaro bivuze gushyira internet mu mashuri yatoranyijwe na za guverinoma, cyane cyane aherereye mu bice by’icyaro, agahabwa internet yihuta ya Airtel n’ibindi bikoresho nka Tablets, mudasobwa zigendanwa, mudasobwa za ‘desktop’ na televiziyo.

Bivuze kandi gutanga ubushobozi bwo gusura zimwe mu mbuga z’ibigo bya leta bishinzwe uburezi ziriho amakuru afasha mu myigire y’abana n’imyigishirize y’abarimu atari ku mashuri yatoranyijwe gusa ahubwo no ku bandi bantu bose babikeneye.

Urugero nko muri Kenya, amashuri 30 yahawe internet n’ibindi bikoresho hashyirwaho n’imbuga ebyiri; Elimika (ku barimu) na Kenya Education (ku banyeshuri) aho abarimu barenga 600 n’abanyeshuri ibihumbi 20 babasha kuzikoresha.

Ntabwo ibintu byose byagenze neza, haracyari imbogamizi. Urugero ni uko imyumvire ku bijyanye n’uburyo ibi bikorwa byihutirwa itari ku rugero rumwe ku mugabane hose.

Haracyari ibihugu bimwe bitsimbaraye ku gusaba Airtel Africa cyangwa Unicef cyangwa byombi kwishyura imisoro ngo haboneka amakuru y’ubuntu ku bana bo mu bihugu byabo kugira ngo bakomeze kwiga cyangwa gufatanya na bagenzi babo mu bindi bice by’isi.

Ibyo ari byo byose, nta rirarenga, nizeye ko uko dutera intambwe nziza mu bihugu bimwe, ibindi bizatangira kubona ko ari ngombwa gufata ihene igihebeba.

Igishimishije ni uko inkingi ya gatatu y’iyi porogaramu ari gushyira imbaraga mu buvuzigizi bugamije gutanga umusanzu mu bikoresho by’ikoranabuhanga mu burezi.

Rero, Airtel Africa na Unicef gushishikariza za guverinoma n’inzego z’uburezi guha agaciro uburemere bw’imbogamizi, ubwihutirwe bw’ibisubizo n’akamaro ko gufatanya natwe mu kubaka ubushobozi bw’abayobozi ba Afurika mu gihe kizaza.

Birumvikana ntitwabura kuvuga ko amaboko yacu arambukiye kwakira abafatanyabikorwa bafite ubushake bwo kugera ikirenge mu cyacu. Uko iyi gahunda yaguka ni ko iba nziza kurushaho!

Ndibwira ko hari byinshi byo kuvuga ku bijyanye n’ibikorwaremezo by’uburezi muri Afurika. Mu bihugu byinshi amashuri ya leta ameze nabi andi yarangiritse burundu. Bamwe mu bana baracyakora ingendo za kilometero 10 bajya ku ishuri mu gihe hari n’abakigira munsi y’ibiti. Rimwe na rimwe umuntu yakwibaza uko ishuri rikorera munsi y’igiti ryarota ikoranabuhanga.

Aha niho mu ijambo ry’Umuyobozi wa Airtel Africa, Dr. Segun Ogunsanya, ahuza natwe, ko hakenewe ubuvugizi n’ababera abandi urugero muri iyi gahunda. Yavuze ko “dukeneye gutekereza ubundi buryo bw’imyigire butandukanye n’ishuri ry’inkuta enye” Niho hazaza. Ni cyo cyerekezo. Airtel Africa na Unicef ntibizatezuka ku gutekerera ko uburezi bukwiye kujyanishwa n’ibihe bya nyuma ya Covid-19 no kujyana n’ukuri kw’ikinyejana cya 21.

Muri rusange, nshuti zanjye, ni ibyo bikubiye muri iyi nkuru uko yakabaye. Ndabashimiye.

Emeka Oparah