Airtel, HNI unveil 3-2-1 service to provide free public service messages

Leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, has partnered with global development organisation, Human Network International (HNI), to unveil The 3-2-1 Service, a call-in system that provides free, on-demand information – ranging from healthcare to good governance – to Nigerians, including those in rural communities.

The 3-2-1 Service provides public service information, on-demand, to mobile phone users in English as well as in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Pidgin English.

Using recorded messages by indigenous speakers, the 3-2-1 Service is convenient for all Nigerians, regardless of age, education and literacy.

By dialing 321 on their Airtel prepaid lines, users will connect the caller to voice prompts in any of the aforesaid indigenous languages or in English.

Speaking, in Lagos, at a formal ceremony to announce the call-in system, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said the telco is committed to creating platforms that will empower Nigerians as well as uplift telecoms consumers in the various communities where it operates.

“As a major stakeholder, we are excited to partner with HNI to create a huge platform that offers a plethora of opportunities to enable millions of Nigerians across various communities to lead better and healthier lives. We are confident that the 321 initiative will help transform lives in many locations across the country,” said Gbemiga Owolabi, HR Director, Airtel Nigeria, who represented the CEO.

“By turning simple mobile phones into search engines, Human Network International and Airtel are giving Nigerians an entirely new way to access information using technology they already own,” Said Harriet Blest, HNIs Country Manager in Nigeria. “Nigerians with little or no literacy can still leverage the service, and that makes it an incredibly powerful tool.  We are delighted to have partnered with Airtel on this and look forward to reaching millions of Nigerians.”

The 3-2-1 Service provides public service information that are all relevant to both individuals and communities across Nigeria. The topics launched on the service are Agriculture, Commodity Prices, Family Planning, Good Governance, Health, News& Entertainment, Nutrition, Sanitation, and Weather.

The public service messages are created and curated by committees convened by HNI. These committees included representation from government ministries, plus Nigerian and international subject area experts, including, Action Aid, Catholic Relief Services, Earth Networks, GSMA, MERCK/MSD, Novus Agro, Pulse.ng, UNFPA and the Federal Ministry of Health.

The call-in system will further be enhanced to cover more topics and messages such as entrepreneurship and financial literacy in the near future.