Affordable Access for Education, Health and Empowerment (AA4EDU)

AA4EDU for launch partner Vodacom Tanzania

On Friday, 27 Jun 2025, we launched "Affordable Access for Education, Health and Empowerment" (AA4EDU) as part of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025.

Vodacom Tanzania Foundation, by Mrs Farah Zuweina, received the AA4EDU launch award, jointly provided by Claire Sithorpe (GSMA), Sudhir Dixit (IEEE CTU), Jorge Perreira (DG Connect, EU), Asim Adeel (GIZ), Catherine Kimambo (African Child Projects), Nicholas Nazar (ISOC TZ), Dr Jonathan Muringani (Basic Internet Foundation) and Prof Josef Noll (UiO).

It was the learning from having connected more than 200 schools in Tanzania, where we had to recognise that selling bundles of (10, 50, 100 GB) was not a suitable option. "If you buy a 3 GB package for yourself, then you will recognise when your mobile data are gone." Unfortunately this understanding does not work in schools, where the Internet access is shared amongst the teachers, the administrative staff and the students. Thus "Internet does not work any longer" was the the feedback we often received, simply .

Thanks to our fruitful discussions during all the years, Vodacom launched a specific tariff for schools and health stations, being:

The AA4EDU value offer by Vodacom is really a game changer, helping to connect all the schools in Tanzania. And, we are inviting everyone else to join us on the pathway to affordable offers in other countries for non-profitable services at schools, health centres and Community Learning and Living Labs (CL3).

PS: We had a really exciting exchange with the Norwegian Minister for Digitalisation and Public Governance, Karianne Oldernes Tung, when addressing the "walk on the Internet". Yes, we need digital roads. And once the roads are built, digital pedestrians and digital cyclicsts have free access to the digital road".

Please help us to (i) invite operators to join AA4EDU and (ii) promote the model of the road for access to the Internet