Airtel Nigeria, part of India's Bharti telecom company, and the Cross River state government have agreed on a deal that will see the company provide integrated telecommunications solutions to the area. The agreement is the first of its kind in Nigeria's burgeoning telecom sector. CEO and Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria Rajan Swaroop said at the signing ceremony that his company would help move telecom services into rural areas of the country, which he said have long been underdeveloped and avoided by other telecom companies. He added that Airtel would support the local government in boosting access to healthcare as well as assist in tourism and education development. “Airtel's task is essentially to key into the transformation agenda of the governor to take Cross River State to the next level,” he said. The local government, Swaroop continued, “was blazing a trail, which would soon become an example for others to emulate and it goes without saying that our commitment to the project is 110 percent. “At Airtel, our vision to become the most loved brand by Nigerians is clear and unshaekeable,” he continued. “We believe that telecommunications is an enabler, which should liberate the latent creativity and entrepreneurial skills of the people. So, this initiative is completely in line with our vision and fits into our objectives to empower the people of Nigeria and make life and business more enjoyable for them.” The agreement comes as Airtel also announced it was adding hundreds of millions of dollars to its current investment package in Nigeria, reaching the $1 billion mark for projects this year. BM
