Airtel Ghana, Best CSR Company of the year for Education and Community Relations programme marks this year’s Safer Internet Day with an announcement of its expanded efforts to keep the internet safe for children in Ghana.

The day which is marked globally under the aegis of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on February 9, seeks to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.

Under this year’s theme for Safer Internet Day ‘Play your part for a better internet’, the Smartphone Network is supporting a national campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of the internet and online crime. The month-long campaign offers stakeholders, parents and children the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology as they play their respective roles to help create a better and safer online community. Safer Internet Day is an annual global initiative which promotes the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology.

Hannah Agbozo, Director for Legal and Corporate Affairs at Airtel Ghana said, “We are commemorating Safer Internet Day by dedicating our pages on social media to empower parents and guardians with tips to help them make the internet safer for their children. We are also answering some of the most commonly asked questions and encouraging parents to talk openly to their children about their online experiences.

We see the need to extend the observation of Safer Internet Day beyond today. And i am happy to announce that at 2 PM on 23rd February, we will also organize a special live online chat for parents and youngsters on our Facebook page to empower them take advantage of the digital world whilst keeping safe on the internet.”

She continued “our objective is to make the Internet safer for our children and at the same time encourage them to harness the enormous potentials that it provides. We want to encourage parents and children to discover the internet together and agree on rules for its use as well as allow the space for open discourse for children to share their experiences with their parents. This is one of the ways we can all ensure a better and safer internet for all.

Airtel, the Smartphone Network is the market leader in digital innovation in Ghana’s telecom industry.

The company was recognised recently as the Most Influential telecommunication company on social media by the Ghana Social Media Rankings Report (GSMR) and as the Most Socially Devoted by Socialbakers.