Bharti Airtel, which has gained foothold in the African country of Nigeria through its acquisition of Zain’s stake, announced that it plans to invest $ 600 million in the Nigerian operations.

This was stated by Bharti Airtel’s CEO for the African operations and Joint MD, Manoj Kohli at the Nigerian capital, Lagos. He also added that Bharti would invest in rural telephony and also introduce a corporate social responsibility programme that includes setting up of schools that would offer free quality education to underprivileged children in rural areas.

"We are delighted to be in Nigeria and at the outset like to express our deep gratitude to the government of Nigeria for their overwhelming support. We want to be a partner in Nigeria's growth and will work with the government to take the telecom network deep into all corners of the country to touch the common man," said Kohli.