Kidpreneur Africa, a leading Nigerian social enterprise, has joined forces with sub-Saharan Africa’s largest bank by assets, Access Bank Plc, to launch “Project Educate Me,” an initiative aimed at empowering 15,000 primary and secondary schoolchildren, children in internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, and underserved youth with essential education and life skills.
The partners, in a statement on Friday, stated that the partnership reflects a commitment to address the educational needs of vulnerable populations in Nigeria, particularly those affected by displacement and marginalisation.
The statement reads that the collaboration between Kidpreneur Africa and Access Bank comes at a critical time for Nigeria’s education sector, as despite efforts to address funding challenges, the sector continues to grapple with inadequate resources and infrastructural deficits.
The statement further reads that through Project Educate Me, Kidpreneur Africa and Access Bank will provide comprehensive support to internally displaced children in three northeastern states: Adamawa (Yola South, Yola North, Gombi, and Girei Local Government Areas); Kastina (Katsina, Daura, and Dutsima Local Government Areas), and Borno (Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Gere Local Government Areas).
Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head, Group Sustainability at Access Holdings PLC, underscored the organisation’s commitment to educational development.
Victor-Laniyan stated that, in line with Access Holdings’ sustainability agenda, they are committed to the educational development of Africans by embracing collaborations that create opportunities to educate the African child.
“Project Educate me, is one of the ways we achieve this. Through this initiative, we aim to directly empower over 150,000 underserved and internally displaced children with essential literacy, financial, digital, and life skills.
“Working collaboratively with our stakeholders, we will continue to impact lives positively now and, in the future,” she remarked.
The programme, expected to run for five months, will offer literacy, communication, financial literacy, and life skills training, in addition to instilling ethical, moral, and civic values essential for lifelong learning.
Juliet Vincent-Obi, the Founder and Executive Director of Kidpreneur Africa, emphasised the significance of education in unlocking the potential of millions of Nigerian children.
She stated, “Education holds the key to unlocking the potential and dreams of millions of children in Nigeria. Yet, over a million internally displaced children, within schooling age, do not have access to quality education, severely limiting their opportunities for the future.”
Vincent-Obi further said that the initiative will recruit fresh Nigerian graduates and professionals, aged between 30 and 35, who are passionate about driving educational change.
She added that successful applicants will undergo rigorous training to prepare them for teaching roles in IDP camps, which will also include curriculum development, lesson planning, classroom facilitation, and student assessment.
Vincent-Obi highlighted the broader impact of education, saying, “Access to teaching centres will help internally displaced children and children in underserved communities enjoy all the benefits and long-term opportunities that education offers. It can enable them to break free from the cycle of poverty.”
