Oando Foundation To Impact 1m Children By 2027

Independent charity organisation, Oando Foundation, has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Nigeria’s education sector through its  innovative LEARNOVATE strategy.

The non governmental organisation, dedicated to strengthening Nigeria’s education system has a five-year initiative designed to enhance foundational learning , digital literacy, and environmental education in public primary schools

At a media engagement in Lagos, the Foundation announced its goal to impact one million children by 2027, emphasising the urgency of addressing Nigeria’s learning crisis with scalable, evidence-based solutions. The Foundation also highlighted its strategic shift toward prioritising foundational literacy and numeracy, STEAM education, green skills development, and education advocacy—critical focus areas aimed at bridging learning gaps and improving learning outcomes, especially in the wake of COVID-19 learning losses and the alarming statistics on learning poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to a 2024 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report, 773 million adults worldwide lack basic literacy skills, two-thirds of whom are women and 250 million children failing to acquire basic literacy skills. Of all regions, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion. Over one-fifth of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are out of school, followed by one-third of children between the ages of 12 and 14. This gap in literacy not only perpetuates cycles of poverty but also hinders the region’s ability to unlock the full potential of its population, limiting both individual and societal growth.

Speaking on the Foundation’s renewed strategy, the head of Oando Foundation, Tonia Uduimoh stated that education is the bedrock of national development, yet millions of Nigerian children remain on the margin and denied access to quality learning. “We are at a critical juncture—now more than ever, we must rethink how we deliver education. LEARNOVATE is designed to provide structured and impactful solutions to these challenges. By 2027, we aim to empower one million learners with the foundational skills they need to thrive. This is not just about an intervention; it is about transformation, ensuring every child, regardless of background, has the opportunity to succeed,” he stressed.

Looking into 2025, Tonia Uduimoh emphasised the Foundation’s priority of scaling impact through targeted interventions that address Nigeria’s most pressing education challenges.

She added that the NGO’s priority is expanding key programs that deliver measurable impact, and also advancing the ‘Clean Our World Initiative’ Phase V, extending the Climate Action Program to Delta and Abuja. “We shall be launching the Green Youth Upskilling Program targeted at youth empowerment for the green economy, and rolling out the School STEAM Project to equip students with essential science, technology, engineering, arts, and math skills.

“For early childhood education, we are expanding the LEARNOVATE-SEED (Supporting Early Childhood Education and Development) Project, which supports pre-primary learners through the establishment of Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centers and provision of specialised training for teachers and caregivers on effective pedagogy and child development best practices. We are also implementing Project Zero, a joint initiative with the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) aimed at mobilising out-of-school children back into classrooms and improving learning outcomes in Lagos State,” she pointed out.