Business
The Making of a CSR Masterstroke: An X-Ray of FirstBank’s Yeoman Effort to Move One Million Children to e-Learning
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The rabbit hole of uncertainty, confusion and fear that pupils and their parents fell into in the dying days of March when the country was in lockdown was best captured in a Saturday Sun feature of May 16, titled, “COVID-19: Troubles of e-Learning.”
The story catalogues the challenges that erupted out of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the fears and frustrations brewed by the new abnormality foisted on the world, the pessimism that pervaded the globe from developed to underdeveloped countries and the possibilities that blew up in the aftermath in the education stratosphere.
With the new order of social distancing, self-isolation, government-enforced quarantine and the ubiquitous lockdown, the prospect of indefinite stay at home until at least an elusive vaccine is found, loomed. This precipitated a distress as never seen before in the education space.
Yet, a panacea was at hand: Digital learning, though hitherto given scant attention. But crossing into that nirvana was an uphill task, especially, in this part of the world. Why: The existence of a huge digital deficit both in infrastructure and the requisite skill.
The dilemma confronting parents, pupils and tutors are multi-dimensional as illustrated by these three vignettes from the story:
Oko Odinakachi, a student of Abia State University, faced frustration on two fronts: her institutions dillydallying about adopting the e-learning strategy on the one hand; her little faith in digital learning, on the other hand. “I was on the verge of writing my first-semester examination. How possible can we do that digitally when there are issues with even JAMB CBT here in our country?”
A father whose daughter, a student of Federal Government College Shagamu preparing for her Senior School Certificate Exam, was compelled to seek a suitable e-learning portal because WAEC advised students to be studious during the lockdown as they’d be going straight into the exam hall at short notice as soon as the pandemic is over. The search led him to an online WAEC Preparatory Class that demanded payment for requisite online resources. “One subject is N1, 500, four subjects N4, 500 and six subjects cost at N6, 500. I didn’t go further because of the fee, which I think is exorbitant, given the current state of the country,” he complained. He joined the rank of other parents who raised concerns over exploitation by mercenaries masquerading as e-learning groups.
Abolade Kunle, a JSS3 student was aware of the government-sponsored tutorial on the radio but he was unable to enjoy the benefits: “We don’t have a radio set in the house. I use my dad’s phone once in a while but he doesn’t allow me to use it all the time,” he railed. A related drawback was cited by one of his teachers at the public school in Mushin: “In the past five weeks, we have had barely three days of electricity supply. It is not every parent that can afford a generator. Is it not when you have electricity supply that the children can watch [government educational programme on] the television?”
The absence of curative or prophylactic breakthrough against the virus meant that academic activities would remain in limbo, while pupils and their parents are faced with the undaunted possibility of a long spell at home. The prospect of a long lull of academic inactivity struck a palpable fear that fueled the scramble unto digital learning platforms as educationists and institutions across the country experimented with remote learning, albeit on a trial-and-error basis. The efforts were at best tangled; the process muddled; the result ineffective. Even, for students of tertiary institutions, the online class was to many a Lala-land.
With the option inevitably narrowed down to digital learning, a Catch-22 situation evolved. Who’s going to make it happen? How? When?
Best foot forward
Eventually, the first foot forward––and indeed the best one––came and it was from First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
The bank, a leading financial inclusion services provider, announced its intention to roll out an innovative e-learning initiative on the heels of its philanthropic contribution of the sum of one billion naira to the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), a private-sector task force that partners the Federal Government, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to combat the coronavirus in Nigeria.
In the months to come, the bank’s effort would resonate forcefully in the education space. The reason for this was not farfetched. Since responsiveness remains a cornerstone of Corporate Social Responsibility, when it is timely, it becomes a major coup. The severity of the pandemic required “uncomfortable, transformative responsiveness,” not the usual CSR response where organisations choose and design responsiveness on their own terms, described by Wayne Visser in Evolution and Revolution of Corporate Social Responsibility, as “when giving is easy and cheque-writing does nothing to upset their commercial applecart.”
Taking on the e-learning challenge head-on was an self-assigned project for which the bank was not under any compulsion to undertake. That it volunteered to tackle the challenge is an indication of the largeness of its CSR aorta.
Suffice to say that a handful of digital learning initiatives exist before the advent of the Covid-19 lockdown; the First Bank effort, however, resonates louder because it has a measurable stated goal: Moving one million pupils into e-learning platform.
A response apt and adequate
Lagos State’s prompt response to the pandemic included the immediate shutdown of schools. By March 25 (four days before Lagos State went into total lockdown on the order of the President), the First Bank initiative was rolled out, and it inalienably took the optics of “the” response to the glitch caused to the education system by the coronavirus pandemic.
First Bank went into collaboration with Lagos State Government and an indigenous mobile learning platform, Robert and John Limited, whose trademark Roducate e-solution, a comprehensive curriculum-based education, is a cornucopia for a broad spectrum of students.
Having powered similar projects in the past, Robert and John was an obvious best in the e-learning business, a fact reinforced by First Bank CEO, Adesola Adeduntan: “In searching for the best fit solution, several options were considered by educators and teachers from the state and First Bank over the last couple of weeks before adjudging Roducate the offering from Robert and John, an innovative technology firm, to be the best of all reviewed.”
Is Roducate the Rosette stone of online learning? The facts were in its favour. Its claim of being the “most comprehensive e-learning platform in Nigeria and indeed Africa” is justified on its curriculum-based education for primary, secondary, and tertiary students. Moreover, ;it has been active in the e-learning space as far back as 2014 and has perfected the mechanics of effective digital learning, winning endorsements along the way from NUC, NERDC, JAMB and Lagos State Ministry of Education.
And by tweaking its blueprint, it came up with an e-learning mother lode––lecture notes, assignments, mock exams, videos, podcasts, and educational games––a rich vein of contents for primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, structured in consonance with the government-accredited curriculum. From the interactive tutorial videos to the innovative feature that enables the learner to take notes for quick reference, it was a whole new experience and an enjoyable learning process.
Suffice to reiterate that the First Bank/LASG Roducate is not the first of its kind; before it, there was Glo Mobile Tutor (since 2014) and UBA LEARN (unveiled in 2018) amongst others. However, certain factors gave it an edge.
The comparative advantage
The CSR takeaways from the initiative are writ large in what makes it different from others––in other words, its comparative advantages.
On the first count, the effort surfaced at a time of need, a time when there was an urgent need to close the gap caused by the disruption in children education due to schools closure following the Covid-19 lockdown. In one fell swoop, a solution materialised that provided succour for all, from kindergartens kids to grad-year students of tertiary institutions.
Secondly, while it is indeed a rolling scheme, it nevertheless came with specific number goal of one million pupils to be empowered with digital learning; this calibrated objective makes the intervention easy to evaluate, compared to other similar initiatives.
Thirdly, the biggest boon: subscription-free.
Consider what this means to parents such as the one cited in Sun story who had to shell out approximately N6, 000 for his daughter to access the needed resources. With the First Bank initiative, students simply get on the platform by registering free at https://www.firstbanknigeria.com/e-learning/.
And then the masterstroke: the enhanced offline feature of the initiative. It means students can study offline without having to bear the burden of buying data. What’s more, First Bank gave further impetus by providing 20, 000 devices that came preloaded with the curriculum.
Elaborating on the low-end devices preloaded with Roducate offline content, Adeduntan disclosed that “the phones have SIMs and limited data tied, only, to the Roducate learning product.”
Kayode Abayomi, the spokesperson for Lagos State Ministry of Education, further hit the nail on the head.
“The devices are efficient and fit for purposes for all students especially indigent students given the fact that data consumption of most e-learning solutions has been a major stumbling block for the majority of students and teachers alike,” he said.
Its fourth edge is from its collaborative nature. One of First Bank’s collaborators on the project is a partner with leverage in the education space: the Lagos State Government. That made a big difference, as it gave the initiative authority and legitimacy that immediately gained traction.
In return, the initiative was well-appreciated by Lagos State Governor Sanwo-Olu: “It is not out of place that we are witnessing more infusion of technology in learning and this intervention by First Bank could not have come at a better time.”
Lastly, the First Bank e-learning project took care of both the short-term and the long-term interest of Nigeria in the digital race. Beyond the exigency of the moment, which was to get the children into learning mode, the intervention took on the imperative of helping young Nigerians develop relevant skills in emerging technologies, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in the interconnected world of today.
How? Via two other initiatives, both partnerships with IBM (that schooled youths in coding Artificial Intelligence, cloud, internet of things, blockchain, data science, analytics and cybersecurity) and Curious Learning (which offers academic contents for pre-learning and early-stage children aged 3-8 through self-guided learning apps). These two threw open the door of digital technology and made available for free the opportunities to transform them into tech geeks.
Taking responsibilities
For organisations with a sense of CSR, Covid-19 was an opportunity that was too good to miss. Where and how they responded depend on their preexisting corporate responsibility culture, their focus, the heft of their commitment.
Adeduntan said of the First Bank initiative: “We are warmed by the fact that different organisations have risen to the various challenges and are supporting in areas such as health and welfare, and we feel the peculiar needs of our children and youth must not be left out and have therefore elected to focus on contributing to solving the current education challenge.”
He said further: “It is a responsible approach to empower them, given that they are our future and the foundation to build our country to greatness. By partnering on this, we are solving a problem for families and our future.”
In September, schools re-opened, and education activity, deflated for months, gradually regains shape and gathers momentum. The number of students enrolled on the platform has increased significantly. The big question: is it going to be one of those projects that got abandoned after the ovation died down? Or is it likely to be sustained?
The cue is in the stated goal of the initiative. FirstBank has placed on itself the onus to continue to build on the effort and to give the needed impetus that will accelerate the achievement of the set goal of 1,000, 000 registered children in record time. It is expected that FirstBank will sustain the race to the finishing line.
Business
Access Bank, Fifth Chukker, UNICEF Partner to Expand Educational Opportunities for Vulnerable Children
The transformative power of collective action in expanding access to education took centre stage in London as Access Bank UK, Fifth Chukker, UNICEF and the Kaduna State Government reaffirmed their shared commitment to creating brighter futures for Nigeria’s most vulnerable children.
Hosted by Access Bank UK, Access UK Polo Day celebrated more than 15 years of impact driven by a shared vision to expand educational opportunities for underserved children. What began as a modest initiative has evolved into one of Africa’s most impactful education programmes, with the Access Bank Fifth Chukker School in Kaduna State and its associated interventions positively impacting more than 14,000 children across underserved communities in Northern Nigeria.
At the heart of this transformation is the Access Bank Fifth Chukker School, where investments in educational infrastructure, learning resources and student support have created lasting opportunities for thousands of children. Between 2018 and 2026 alone, the school recorded 2,538 graduates, with female pupils accounting for more than 54 per cent of the total, underscoring the programme’s contribution to advancing girls’ education and promoting inclusive access to learning.
More than 1,000 pupils benefit from the school’s internationally recognised foundational learning programme each year, contributing to improved literacy and numeracy outcomes and a reported 15 per cent increase in learning performance. Students continue to secure admission into leading secondary schools, while teachers receive ongoing professional development and digital learning support. Enhanced infrastructural facilities and expanded learning resources have further strengthened the overall learning environment, helping to sustain the programme’s long-term impact.
This year’s event reinforced a compelling message: Every pledge should lead to a classroom, every classroom should empower a child, and every child should have the opportunity to shape a brighter future.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Roosevelt Ogbonna, reflected on the remarkable growth of the initiative and the unwavering commitment of its supporters.
“What began as a dream to transform the lives of 100 children has grown into a movement that has positively impacted more than 14,000 young people. We want to return next year talking about 28,000 children. Education remains the greatest leveller, giving every child a genuine opportunity to realise their potential and contribute meaningfully to society.”
Ogbonna expressed appreciation to donors and partners whose support has sustained the initiative, noting that investment in education creates lasting intergenerational impact.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani described education as one of the most valuable investments any society can make. He praised the longstanding alliance between Access Bank, Fifth Chukker and UNICEF, noting that it has restored hope and opportunity to thousands of children from underserved communities.
Highlighting Kaduna State’s ongoing education reforms, the Governor revealed that approximately 300,000 out-of-school children had been returned to classrooms over the past year through partnerships with organisations including UNICEF and other development partners. He also announced plans to construct an additional 120 classrooms at the Fifth Chukker Access Bank UNICEF School, enabling even more children to access quality education.
“What we are doing here is about humanity. By giving children access to quality education, we are empowering them to dream, to lead and to build a better future for themselves and their communities.”
Governor Sani also paid tribute to the late Herbert Wigwe, acknowledging his vision, leadership and enduring commitment to improving educational outcomes for underserved populations.
For Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Access Holdings, the true success of the initiative is reflected in the lives being transformed.
“The most meaningful measure of success is not the number of buildings we construct, but the opportunities we create. Every child who receives an education, every young person who discovers their potential, and every community strengthened through learning represents the lasting impact of this partnership. Together, we are proving that when purpose meets collaboration, we can create opportunities that change lives for generations.”
Welcoming guests, Jamie Simmonds, Chief Executive Officer of The Access Bank UK, described the gathering as polo with purpose, a celebration not only of sport but of a shared mission to create opportunity through education. He highlighted the institution’s commitment to supporting initiatives that deliver sustainable social impact and broaden access to learning for underserved children.
The event concluded with a renewed commitment from all stakeholders to deepen investment in education as a catalyst for national development and social progress. The Access Bank Fifth Chukker School continues to demonstrate the impact of sustained collaboration among the private sector, government and development partners, delivering measurable outcomes for vulnerable children in Northern Nigeria.
Ecobank Nigeria, a subsidiary of the leading pan-African financial services group Ecobank Group, has been awarded the Client Excellence Award by Deutsche Bank in recognition of its outstanding performance, operational excellence, and commitment to delivering superior Institutional Cash and Trade Finance services.
The award recognises Ecobank Nigeria’s consistent achievement of high standards in transaction processing, service delivery, operational efficiency, and collaboration within the global trade finance ecosystem. It further reinforces the Bank’s position as a leading financial institution providing innovative financial solutions that support corporates, financial institutions, and businesses engaged in domestic and international trade.
Receiving the award on behalf of Ecobank Nigeria, Segun Anjorin, Coverage Head, Corporate and Investment Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, expressed appreciation to Deutsche Bank for the recognition, noting that the award reflects the Bank’s unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer-centric service delivery.
“We are honoured to receive the Deutsche Bank Client Excellence Award. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to delivering seamless and innovative solutions that enable our clients to thrive in an increasingly interconnected global marketplace.”
“At Ecobank Nigeria, we remain focused on leveraging our extensive pan-African network, digital capabilities, and strategic partnerships to facilitate trade, improve transaction efficiency, and support economic growth across Nigeria and the African continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Deutsche Bank and look forward to further strengthening our collaboration in the years ahead,” Anjorin said.
Commenting on the award, Anand Jha, Managing Director, Global Head of TFFI and Regional Head, Trade & Lending, Middle East and Africa (MEA), Deutsche Bank, commended Ecobank Nigeria for its exceptional service standards and operational excellence.
“The Client Excellence Award recognises institutions that consistently demonstrate outstanding quality, efficiency, and reliability in transaction banking operations. Ecobank Nigeria distinguished itself through its commitment to excellence, strong operational controls, and customer-focused service delivery that has created measurable value for clients and counterparties alike.”
“We are pleased to recognise Ecobank Nigeria’s achievements and appreciate the strong partnership we have built over the years. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in supporting trade, payments, and financial flows that drive economic development across Africa and beyond,” Jha said.
The recognition underscores Ecobank Nigeria’s continued investment in world-class banking solutions and reinforces its role as a trusted financial partner for businesses seeking efficient cash management, trade finance, and cross-border banking services. It also highlights the Bank’s commitment to supporting economic development by facilitating seamless trade and financial transactions across Africa and the global marketplace.
About Ecobank Nigeria
Ecobank Nigeria is a member of the Ecobank Group, the leading pan-African banking institution with operations in 33 African countries and international offices in London, Paris, Beijing, and Dubai. With over 220 branches, more than 36,000 agency banking locations, and robust digital platforms, Ecobank delivers accessible, affordable, and instant banking services. The Bank is strategically positioned to support pan-African trade, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Nigeria’s oldest indigenous national bank, most innovative and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, Wema Bank, on Wednesday, announced the 7th edition of its flagship innovation initiative, Hackaholics.
Launched in 2019, Hackaholics is Wema Bank’s youth and tech-focused initiative designed to serve as a platform for young Africans with creative, game changing, tech-driven ideas and products, to bring their ideas to life. Since its launch, Hackaholics has discovered thousands of groundbreaking solutions, supported over 10,000 startups, engaged 50,000 participants, developed over 100 solutions from scratch and disbursed $500,000,000 in grant prizes to dozens of winners whose remarkable solutions have earned a top spot in the past 6 editions. With the launch of Hackaholics 7.0, Wema Bank is set to execute the biggest Hackaholics edition yet.
Themed “Powering Possibilities”, Hackaholics 7.0 will kick off with an open call for applications, calling on all young Africans with creative tech-driven solutions across any of the 7 verticals: Financial Inclusion, Healthcare, Digital Transformation, Education, Sustainability, Social Impact and Future of Work. Each application is to be made via the portal at hackaholics.wemabank.com, under one of three tracks: The Startup Pitch Competition, Hackathon and the newly introduced Social Impact track.
Following the application window, Hackaholics 7.0 will then proceed on a national tour which will touch 10 pitch centres across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Each pitch centre will serve as a hub for innovators within the region to pitch their creative solutions and get the opportunity to secure the top spot in their pitch centre, and ultimately, proceed to the grand finale where the winners of Hackaholics 7.0 will be announced.
Speaking on the inspiration behind Hackaholics’ exceptional seven-year journey, Wema Bank’s MD/CEO, Moruf Oseni, reiterated the Bank’s commitment to powering innovation, empowering youth and promoting economic growth in Africa.
“At Wema Bank, we believe that institutions have a responsibility that extends beyond providing commercial services. We have a responsibility to create meaningful opportunities, provide the right resources, enable innovation to thrive, and support the ecosystems that will shape today’s youth as well as tomorrow’s economy. This sense of responsibility is what has driven the evolution of Hackaholics from inception till date. With Hackaholics, we have, and we are investing in the next generation of innovators, inspiring innovation that will impact lives, strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem and giving youth a platform to make meaningful use of their creativity; and the numbers continue to speak volumes,” Oseni said.
While performing the function of declaring the application window open, Tajudeen Bakare, Wema Bank’s Divisional Executive, Business Support, noted that “As we launch Hackaholics 7.0 today, we are opening up a new phase of opportunities for more Nigerian youth to challenge themselves, explore their creativity and become startup founders. I encourage every young Nigerian with a passion for innovation to leverage the opportunity that we have carefully curated through Hackaholics and get ahead of the curve in today’s dynamic work landscape. Together, we can continue to build an ecosystem where innovation flourishes, opportunities expand, and young people are empowered to create solutions that shape the future”.
Hackaholics 7.0 is free, and open to any Nigerian youth who has innovative ideas and solutions to pitch. Interested startups and innovators can apply at hackaholics.wemabank.com. All updates on the Hackaholics 7.0 journey will be made available on the Bank’s website @wemabank.com as well as its social media platforms @wemabank and @alat_ng.
