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By Oluseye Ojo
Close to one million Nigerian students are benefiting from a digital learning initiative that has connected nearly 2,000 schools nationwide, equipped more than 19,000 teachers with digital literacy skills and opened pathways to employment and entrepreneurship for young people.
The initiative, driven by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Airtel Africa and the Federal Government, seeks to remove data-cost barriers to education, while linking digital learning with mentorship, internships and livelihood opportunities.
The partnership has reached more than 20,000 teachers, while the Nigeria Learning Passport, one of its supported platforms, has recorded over 2.5 million registered students and nearly 100,000 registered teachers.
The programme’s impact was showcased during visits by a joint delegation to schools and youth programmes in Lagos and Abuja.
At Government Senior College, Agege, and St George’s U.N.A. Primary School, Lagos, students and teachers demonstrated their use of digital learning resources, including artificial intelligence (AI).
At Yaba College of Technology, young people demonstrated how Passport to Earning and the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) platform were helping them develop digital, employability and entrepreneurship skills, with pathways to mentorship, internships and livelihoods.
UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rownak Khan, said free digital learning could bridge the digital divide and bring young people closer to opportunities to shape their future.
“Our partnership with Airtel and the Government of Nigeria is supporting teachers and creating pathways from learning to earning,” she said.
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Khan stressed that girls, children with disabilities and those in underserved communities must be among the first to benefit.
Garreth Spillane, Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Airtel Africa, said connectivity created transformative opportunities when students could access quality digital education and teachers could 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 partnership provides zero-rated access to selected platforms, including the Nigeria Learning Passport, the Federal Ministry of Education’s Inspire and Ignite platforms, the Digital National Education Management Information System and YOMA, enabling users to access the designated services without data charges.
In Abuja, the delegation met officials of the Office of the Vice President and the Federal Ministry of Education to discuss connectivity, quality educational content, teacher training, inclusive learning, stronger data systems, child online safety and sustainable financing.
The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, said transforming education required partnerships aligned with government priorities and learners’ needs.
“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 said.
The initiative is part of a five-year Airtel Africa-UNICEF partnership spanning 13 African countries. Across the partnership, more than 3,000 schools have been connected, over 60 learning platforms zero-rated and more than 2.5 million children reached.
