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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Airtel Africa and the federal government have connected nearly 2,000 schools across Nigeria to digital learning platforms, reaching over one million students and more than 20,000 teachers.
The initiative aims to expand access to digital education, improve teaching methods and equip young people with skills for employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
The progress was highlighted during a joint mission by UNICEF, Airtel Africa and federal government representatives to schools and youth programmes in Lagos and Abuja to assess the partnership’s impact.
The delegation, led by Chief of Staff to the chairman of Airtel Africa, Garreth Spillane,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 classrooms.
At the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, the delegation observed young people using the Passport to Earning programme and the Youth Agency Marketplace to acquire digital, employability and entrepreneurial skills, with opportunities for mentorship, internships and livelihood support.
A press release by Susan Akila, an Information Officer with UNICEF, said more than 19,000 teachers have received digital literacy training, while the Nigeria Learning Passport has recorded over 2.5 million registered students and nearly 100,000 registered teachers.
The partnership is also reducing the cost of internet access by making selected educational platforms available without data charges. These include the Nigeria Learning Passport, the Federal Ministry of Education’s Inspire and Ignite platforms, the Digital National Education Management Information System and YOMA.
In Abuja, the delegation met officials of the Office of the Vice President and the Federal Ministry of Education to discuss connectivity, quality digital content, teacher training, inclusive learning, child online protection and sustainable financing.
UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rownak Khan, said free digital learning was helping to bridge the digital divide and bringing children and young people closer to the knowledge and skills needed to shape their future.
“Our partnership with Airtel and the government of Nigeria is supporting teachers and creating pathways from learning to earning. Girls, children with disabilities and those in underserved communities must be among the first to benefit,” Khan said.
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