According to Nkanta, the intervention has reached more than 72,000 students while equipping over 1,150 teachers with digital teaching skills and classroom competencies. He stressed the need for additional funding and stronger partnerships to enable nationwide scale-up of the initiative.

Digital education prepares Nigerians for participation in digital economy

Speaking during a courtesy visit by officials of The Kukah Centre and the ProFuturo Foundation at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Shettima said the initiative complements the government’s efforts to strengthen skills acquisition through the National Council on Skills.

After receiving a briefing on the programme’s progress, the Vice President expressed satisfaction with improvements in school enrolment, teacher capacity and the quality of teaching delivered since the partnership began in 2017. He, however, noted that despite the achievements recorded so far, much more remains to be done to address the educational needs of Nigeria’s rapidly growing population.

As part of efforts to deepen the impact of digital learning nationwide, Shettima proposed closer collaboration between programme implementers and key education institutions, including the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

“The interaction is to facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas that can help produce robust solutions to the issue of school enrolment in parts of Nigeria,” the Vice President said.

Shettima also pledged support for broader adoption of the initiative, assuring the delegation that he would introduce the programme to the National Economic Council (NEC) with the aim of digitising Universal Basic Education Boards across the country.

Providing an update on implementation milestones, Emmanuel Nkanta, project coordinator for the initiative, said the programme has expanded to 13 states and 123 schools since its launch.

According to Nkanta, the intervention has reached more than 72,000 students while equipping over 1,150 teachers with digital teaching skills and classroom competencies. He stressed the need for additional funding and stronger partnerships to enable nationwide scale-up of the initiative.

Matthew Kukah, Founder of The Kukah Centre, said the delegation’s visit to the Presidential Villa was intended to demonstrate support for the administration’s commitment to advancing digital education in Nigeria.

Describing Shettima’s support as critical for the country’s future, Kukah said the Vice President’s commitment reflects the leadership required to prepare Nigeria for the next phase of global development driven by digital skills and technology-enabled learning.

ProFuturo is a global digital education initiative established by Spain’s Fundación Telefónica and Fundación “la Caixa” to improve learning outcomes through technology-enabled education in underserved communities. The programme focuses on teacher training, digital learning content, classroom technology deployment and the development of digital skills among students.

In Nigeria, the initiative commenced in 2017 following an agreement involving the ProFuturo Foundation, the Northern Governors’ Forum and The Kukah Centre. The original programme targeted approximately 70,000 children across 120 schools in northern Nigeria through digital learning tools and teacher training interventions.

According to The Kukah Centre, the project was designed to reduce educational and digital inequalities among children in vulnerable communities by improving the quality of teaching and learning through technology.

Earlier programme updates from ProFuturo showed operations spanning 13 Nigerian states and more than 120 schools, with thousands of teachers benefiting from digital skills training. The latest figures presented to the Vice President indicate continued expansion in both teacher capacity development and student reach.

The renewed push for digital education comes as policymakers increasingly identify technology-enabled learning and digital skills development as essential to preparing young Nigerians for future workforce demands and supporting the country’s transition to a knowledge-driven digital economy.