By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA: The Federal Government has concluded plans to distribute massive Information and Communication Technology, ICT equipment to 15 federal and state colleges of education across Nigeria under a major education support initiative funded by the Government of Japan.

The development is part of “The Project for Capacity-building of Teachers to Promote Continuous and Inclusive Access to Safe and Quality Education for Girls in West Africa.”

The intervention, backed by UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (UNESCO-IICBA), is aimed at strengthening teacher education, deepening digital learning, and expanding inclusive access to quality education, particularly for girls and vulnerable learners.

Education authorities described the initiative as a strategic investment designed to transform Nigeria’s education sector through improved teacher quality, innovative learning approaches, and technology-driven instruction.

According to the Federal Ministry of Education, the project seeks to tackle critical educational challenges confronting West Africa, including learning poverty, gender inequality, shortage of qualified teachers, and the growing number of out-of-school children.

The programme, which cuts across six West African countries, is being implemented in collaboration with the African Union International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) and the African Union Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) team based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

As part of the intervention, beneficiary institutions will receive a wide range of ICT tools, including 65 laptops with carrying cases, 71 tablets, four desktop computers, five interactive smart boards, 19 all-in-one desktop systems, 14 projectors, 15 printers, and 15 backup hard drives.

The beneficiary institutions include Federal College of Education, Kontagora; Federal College of Education, Zaria; Federal College of Education (Technical), Gombe; Federal College of Education, Yola; Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba; and Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo.

Others are Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze; College of Education, Zuba; Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education; Enugu State College of Education (Technical); Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education, Kano; Adamu Augie College of Education, Argungu; Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto; Adamawa State College of Education, Hong; and Taraba State College of Education, Zing.

The ministry said the project is expected to improve the quality of teaching and learning through increased deployment of digital technology, adoption of gender-responsive teaching methods, and stronger teacher professional development systems.

Officials noted that the intervention would also help create safer and more inclusive learning environments capable of improving school retention and academic performance among female students.

Implementation strategies include intensive teacher training, development of school safety guidelines, upgrading infrastructure in teacher training institutions, deployment of digital learning tools, and promotion of regional knowledge-sharing platforms to support evidence-based education policies.

Meanwhile, UNESCO-IICBA and the Government of Japan have also unveiled fresh education-focused interventions targeting vulnerable communities and crisis-affected regions. 

One of the newly announced projects, titled “Empowering Female.

 Teachers and School Leaders in Crisis Situations through Integrating Mobile-based Learning in the Pan African Virtual and Electronic University (PAVEU) Initiative,” seeks to support female educators through mobile learning technologies.

The initiative is being implemented in partnership with Japanese EdTech firm, Castalia Co. Ltd., and the African Union’s Pan African Virtual and Electronic University (PAVEU).