Bettina Nnamdi Ibemgbo, also known as Ms. Betty, is the Co-founder of Movil Digital Services Limited (MODIGI) and the Founder of the Smartphone Productivity Club. With over nine years of experience, Betty is dedicated to empowering children with creative and tech skills, fostering productive use of smart devices. As the Educator of the Year 2022, she leads the club in teaching 21st century skills to over 4,700 children across nine schools in Lagos and Abuja. The Smartphone Productivity Club focuses on reducing smartphone addiction and replacing it with valuable tech skills, guiding GenZ to use their devices for creativity and productivity. In this interview with ESTHER IJEWERE, she shares her story.

Inspiration behind Smartphone Productivity Club
It’s always beautiful answering this question. In the early years of my life before COVID-19 struck, I worked with a particular school for some years as an animation instructor and I was mainly training them on 2d/3d animation with already existing templates to spark their curiosity and interest in tech generally. So we would meet in the ICT room and train for one hour before their parents came to take them home. These children were within ages six to 10.

They loved my teachings of course. New students would come wanting to join my training. I would ask them if they had a laptop. The moment they said no, I gladly informed them that they can’t be a part even though they have tablets and smartphones. Little did I know that something great was about to happen to my life.

A few months down the line, I applied for a German training/competition alongside Ladima Foundation in partnership with DW Academie. It was an animation filming class and training. We were asked to come up with a project that we could carry. At that time, my laptop was stolen from my brother in school. I was so confused. I had just my Infinix phone and because I didn’t want to give any excuse about not continuing this training/competition, I picked up my smartphone and started to research a million and one animation styles that I can carry out with it. It was hectic at the start because all my life I didn’t believe a smartphone could do beyond calls and selfies. I just wanted to look for a solution. I searched and searched and my eyes opened. My heart opened to a lot of wrong mindsets I had about smartphones. I had a cast back of the children that came to me for training with these devices that I chased them back. I had a cast back on children in my location, an environment that sees this smartphone as a gaming machine and what more they can carry out with it.

It was during the research that I found Stop Motion Animation for the first time and started to watch YouTube videos. I started to practice; coincidentally it was in line with the Ladima Foundation training, and at the end I saw the final video we came up with in my team, ‘Telling a Lagos Story with Papers’ and it was so beautiful.

It then dawned on me that a lot of children, because those are my focus, are not utilising the great potential of their smartphones and we started a journey into smartphone education for children. I collaborated with Fredrick, who does the Smartphone Productivity for Adults and today Smartphone Productivity Club has done and recorded great success. I can then go ahead to say that my stolen laptop opened my ideas to a great business and impact.
Empowering kids with tech: nine years of insights

One key insight is that “Technology is not the bad guy.” I always emphasise this and some parents have come to tell me that I have made this statement a song in their children’s mouths.

Yes, technology is not the bad guy. It’s we the users that will determine the result we get from technology. I share with my learners, children who are doing exceptionally well using technology and the ones who are now arrested or hurt using the same technology. So, it boils down to our decision as the users and it’s always an interesting time when we discuss this topic because every learner of mine has something to say.

Once we have been able to insert this mindset, we can then relate it to creative and tech skills that they can benefit from using their devices and technology.

Inspiration behind 21st century tech education for kids
The answer is simple; if you call out five children and ask them what they use their devices for, three will tell you Roblox, Games and social media; one will say for homework and the last person may give a response that has mummy or daddy in the picture. We then decided to focus on showing these children, especially the ones we have been able to work with, that their smart devices (tablets, iPads and smartphones), can do beyond what they are currently using them for and we usher them into the world of beautiful tech skills that they can carry out with it.

Also, parents are not doing a lot to ensure that the devices they give their children are properly used. Schools will rather tell them not to bring it at all to school. So, we are providing a solution using the same devices that these children love to acquire a tech skill and the team at Smartphone Productivity Club is not stopping anytime soon.

Impacts of Educator of the Year recognition and grants
Reflecting on our journey at Smartphone Productivity Club, starting from a humble beginning to winning grants and recognition within just one to three years is truly remarkable. When we applied for the Flourish Africa Grant in 2023, it was our first attempt at such an opportunity.

Despite initial skepticism about grants, we decided to seize the chance presented by Apostle Folorunsho Alakija. Passing through each stage of the application process, from submission to business plan and pitch, and finally being announced as one of the winners, brought tears of disbelief and gratitude. Winning as a new startup within just two years of founding the Smartphone Productivity Club was an affirmation that our unique business idea was making a positive impact. The ForHer in partnership with Dera Consulting Grant further reinforced our belief.

These achievements motivate us to continue the great work we are doing. The creation of the ‘App Library’ was a heartfelt effort to assist parents by providing a guide to 100 productive applications for their children’s smartphones. Categorised into areas like health, education, mind improvement games and more, the aim is to ensure that children use their devices effectively and efficiently.

Top apps for productive smartphone use among children
Yes, there are a lot of them. I love Photomath; it’s an application that allows you to be able to take a picture of a math question and it simplifies the answers for you.

Google Family Link is also one interesting application, especially for parents, that allows you to be able to sync your child’s device to yours and you get to restrict some applications he or she can download at a certain age; before they download it they get permission from you. Also, you get to see some of the websites they visited and how long they spent on it. This is not necessarily to police them but to properly guide them on their device. I also need to have an updated version of the App Library, as we now have a lot of amazing applications with the invention of AI.

The impact of technology on future education
Movil Digital Service Limited is a company that focuses on offering adequate education on smartphones to business owners, entrepreneurs and employees. The company is founded by Fredrick Nnamdi Ibemgbo, who uses mainly his smartphone to blow your mind away and it has been an amazing journey working with Fredrick.

I believe that technology plays a great role in shaping education because it’s making our work easier and faster. All of these are now dependent on how well and best you are getting exposed to technology trends and following suit.

I do say that technology will not take all of our jobs away, rather technology will take the jobs of those who believe it will take their jobs away because if I come with extra knowledge of a skill coupled with tech then I have a possibility of being employed because of the edge.

Also, as a co-founder of Movil Digital Services Limited, my eyes are so open to a lot of tech trends especially as the founder is tech himself; his YouTube channel is a school on technology.

Inspiring women: A trio that shapes her journey
There are a lot of women who inspire me. There is a lot of them that I just visit their pages, take my lesson for the day, smile and keep the fire burning,

Mrs. Ify Obidi Essien of Tech Savvy Teacher International is one. I started my journey working with her closely especially because she’s a lover of technology advancement and it opened my eyes to the world of tech.

I also love Mrs. Chioma Ifeanyi Eze of Accounting Hub. I always visit her page to get business insight on what I need to do better and it’s been amazing. She is really a great business woman and I would love to work with her one day.

Mrs. Wendy Ologe of The Intentional Parenting Academy is one great Parenting Coach who is so passionate about what she does and also ensures that parents are properly guided. I love her work so much that it inspires me to do more. I believe one day, I will work with her closely.

Being a Woman of Rubies
Ruby is a precious stone, which makes me a precious woman. The early challenges and rejection didn’t deter me. I forged ahead for the impact on even one child’s life, embodying the spirit of a Woman of Rubies. Technology’s permanence necessitates understanding its potential and our work at Smartphone Productivity Club ensures children receive education on using devices positively. I know that I am precious; I am a Woman of Rubies.