By Desire Uzochukwu
Airtel Africa and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Federal Government, are expanding access to free digital education in Nigeria, reaching nearly one million students and more than 20,000 teachers through technology-driven learning initiatives.
The partnership is helping to remove data-cost barriers to education while equipping students and young people with digital literacy, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and employability skills.
The impact of the initiative was demonstrated during an assessment tour of selected schools and youth programmes in Lagos by a joint Airtel Africa-UNICEF delegation, led by Garreth Spillane, Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Airtel Africa.
The delegation visited Government Senior College, Agege; St George’s U.N.A. Primary School, Ipaja; and Yaba College of Technology, where students and teachers demonstrated how digital platforms were supporting classroom learning and preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship.
UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Dr Rownak Khan, expressed satisfaction with the progress recorded, particularly among girls acquiring digital skills.
“I’m very impressed to see how these girls are learning digital skills, and I really would like to thank the Ministry of Education at both the federal and state levels,” Khan said.
“But our biggest appreciation goes to Airtel Nigeria for this partnership. Airtel has supported us with zero-rating, providing free access so these girls can learn the skills they need to prepare for school and their future careers.”
She said the partnership was helping teachers and creating pathways for young people to translate learning into livelihood 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 stressed the need to prioritise girls, children with disabilities and learners in underserved communities to ensure that digital education benefits those who face the greatest barriers to access.
How the Nigeria Learning Passport works
A major component of the initiative is the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), a digital platform offering online, mobile and offline access to educational resources aligned with Nigeria’s curriculum.
The platform provides more than 15,000 learning resources, including lessons in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba for pre-primary, primary and secondary school pupils.
It has recorded more than 2.5 million registered students and nearly 100,000 registered teachers.
Introduced in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic to help learners continue their education during school closures, the platform is now hosted by the Federal Ministry of Education.
Through the partnership, Airtel provides zero-rated access to the NLP, the ministry’s Inspire and Ignite platforms, the Digital National Education Management Information System and the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA).
The arrangement allows users to access the designated platforms without incurring mobile data charges, helping to address the cost of internet access that can prevent low-income households from benefiting from digital education.
Head of Programmes at the Airtel Africa Foundation, Esi Asare Prah, said digital inclusion was critical to preparing young Africans for a technology-driven future.
“One of the biggest missions for the foundation is driving faster digital inclusion in education to improve learning outcomes,” Prah said.
“For Airtel as an organisation, digital inclusion is a major priority. We want to ensure that young people across Africa are equipped for the future.”
She said the visit showed how free access to digital learning could help young girls develop technology skills and use their knowledge to create content.
Prah added that the foundation’s priorities included strengthening digital infrastructure, extending access to underserved rural communities, empowering marginalised groups and promoting educational equity.
She said young people in Nigeria with an Airtel connection could access the Nigeria Learning Passport free of charge.
Students report improved learning
The Head Girl of Government Senior College, Tosin Adeola, said the platform had improved students’ academic performance and study habits by enabling them to revisit lessons and review difficult subjects at home.
She thanked UNICEF and Airtel for the initiative and pledged that students would continue to take advantage of the learning opportunities.
Spillane said connectivity could transform education when it enabled students to access quality learning resources and teachers to use digital tools effectively.
“Connectivity brings transformative opportunities when it helps students access quality digital learning and enables teachers to use digital tools effectively, as we’ve seen demonstrated so ably here in Nigeria,” he said.
“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.”
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, said partnerships aligned with government priorities and learners’ needs were essential to improving education outcomes.
“Transforming education in Nigeria requires strong partnerships aligned with government priorities and learners’ needs,” Ahmad said.
“We must strengthen teachers’ capacity, expand access to quality digital content, protect children online and ensure digital learning reaches every child, wherever they live.”
In Abuja, the delegation met with the Office of the Vice President and the Federal Ministry of Education to discuss connectivity, quality learning content, teacher training, inclusive design, education data systems, child online safety and sustainable financing.
The partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening these areas and expanding access to digital education.
Across 13 African countries, the five-year Airtel Africa-UNICEF partnership has connected more than 3,000 schools, zero-rated over 60 learning platforms and reached more than 2.5 million children.
The partners said continued collaboration with governments would be crucial to extending the benefits of digital learning to more children and young people, particularly those in underserved communities.
