Just a day after facing fresh criticism over its persistent network failures, under-fire Airtel Zambia has announced a bold move to restore public trust.
The country’s second-biggest telco, with 5 million subscribers, launched Inclusive Customer Service Initiative yesterday aimed at improving access for persons with disabilities
The initiative ensuring that persons with disabilities are served with dignity, accessibility, and care comes as the company continues to face pressure from parliamentarians and regulators over recurring service outages.
This comes only days after Airtel was called by the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) for a massive data outage and forced to compensate affected consumers.
In February, the telco was fined $164 000 (ZMW4 million) for similar disruptions.
Kapa Kaumba, Airtel’s customer experience director, underlined at the launch that despite these challenges, the telco is now positioning itself for inclusive service delivery.
Staff in eight Airtel shops across Lusaka have been trained in sign language, while the company has introduced braille versions of its Customer Service Charter, with more accessible materials on the way.
“Inclusion is not a box to tick—it’s a value we live by. We are grateful to ZICTA and the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) for supporting this journey and reminding us that accessibility is not a favour but a right,” she said.
ZICTA, which has recently taken a tough stance on Airtel’s service quality, welcomed the initiative.
“This is a defining moment for the telecommunications sector. We applaud Airtel for creating a customer experience that respects diversity and champions equal access,” said Edgar Mlauzi, ZICTA’s manager of consumer affairs.
Ruth Litebele, research manager at ZAPD, praised the effort as a much-needed shift in narrative among telecoms companies.
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