The United Nations Children’s Fund, Airtel Africa and the Federal Government have expanded access to free digital learning and skills development to nearly 2,000 schools across Nigeria, reaching about one million students and more than 20,000 teachers.
The initiative, implemented through a partnership between UNICEF, Airtel Africa and the Nigerian government, aims to improve access to digital education, strengthen teachers’ capacity and create opportunities for young people to acquire employability and entrepreneurship skills.
The partners disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday following visits by a joint Airtel Africa-UNICEF delegation to schools and youth programmes in Lagos and Abuja to assess the impact of the initiative.
The delegation, led by Garreth Spillane, Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Airtel Africa, visited Government Senior College, Agege, and St George’s U.N.A. Primary School, where students and teachers demonstrated the use of digital learning tools, including artificial intelligence, in the classroom.
At Yaba College of Technology, the delegation also observed how young people were using the Passport to Earning programme and the Youth Agency Marketplace, also known as YOMA, to develop digital, employability and entrepreneurship skills.
According to the statement, the platforms are helping young people access mentorship, internships and livelihood opportunities.
It added that more than 19,000 teachers had received digital literacy training under the partnership.
The initiative also seeks to remove financial barriers to digital education by providing free access to selected learning platforms through zero-rated data services.
The platforms include the Nigeria Learning Passport, the Federal Ministry of Education’s Inspire and Ignite platforms, the Digital National Education Management Information System and YOMA.
The statement said the Nigeria Learning Passport alone had attracted more than 2.5 million registered students and nearly 100,000 registered teachers.
Speaking on the initiative, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rownak Khan, said free access to digital learning was helping bridge the digital divide and connect children and young people to educational and economic opportunities.
“Access to free digital learning not only bridges the digital divide but also brings children and young people closer to the knowledge, skills and opportunities they need to shape their and their country’s future,” Khan said.
She added that the partnership was supporting teachers and creating pathways from learning to earning.
Khan stressed the need to ensure that girls, children with disabilities and those living in underserved communities benefited from the initiative.
“Girls, children with disabilities and those in underserved communities must be among the first to benefit,” she said.
Also speaking, Spillane said connectivity could transform education when it enabled students to access quality digital content and helped teachers use technology effectively.
“Working with UNICEF and governments, we will continue to connect schools, remove data-cost barriers through zero-rated learning platforms and support teachers across the continent,” he said.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, said transforming Nigeria’s education sector required partnerships aligned with government priorities and learners’ needs.
“Transforming education in Nigeria requires strong partnerships aligned with government priorities and learners’ needs,” she said.
Ahmad said the government would continue to prioritise teachers’ capacity development, access to quality digital content and online safety for children.
“We must strengthen teachers’ capacity, expand access to quality digital content, protect children online and ensure digital learning reaches every child, wherever they live,” she added.
During the Abuja leg of the visit, the delegation met with officials of the Office of the Vice President and the Federal Ministry of Education to discuss ways to improve connectivity, digital content quality, teacher training, inclusive learning systems and child online safety.
The discussions also focused on strengthening education data systems and developing sustainable financing mechanisms to improve learning outcomes.
The partners reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the challenges and expanding access to digital learning opportunities across the country.
The statement further disclosed that the five-year Airtel Africa-UNICEF partnership had connected more than 3,000 schools across 13 African countries, provided zero-rated access to more than 60 learning platforms and reached over 2.5 million children.
The Airtel Africa Foundation, established in 2024, focuses on addressing socio-economic challenges across the continent through initiatives in education, digital inclusion, financial inclusion and environmental protection.