British Airways has donated laptops to beneficiaries of IA-Foundation, a United Kingdom-registered non-governmental organisation committed to returning out-of-school children in Nigeria to classrooms, in a move aimed at narrowing the country’s widening digital divide and expanding access to technology-enabled education.
The donation was disclosed in a statement released on Saturday following a handover ceremony held in Lagos State.
The event brought together representatives of British Airways, officials of IA-Foundation and beneficiaries who will directly benefit from the donation.
Chairman of IA-Foundation, Diran Famakinwa, received the laptops on behalf of the organisation alongside members of staff and the beneficiaries.
British Airways was represented by its Account Managers, Peju Diya and Mr. Bodunrin, as well as the airline’s Administration Manager, Matthew Akano.
According to the foundation, the donation is expected to improve access to digital learning tools for children who have had little or no exposure to computers during their education.
“The donation is expected to strengthen the digital learning capacity of the beneficiaries, many of whom have had limited or no access to computers as part of their education,” the statement said.
It added that for an organisation focused on reintegrating vulnerable and out-of-school children into formal education, the support from British Airways provides an important technology-driven boost to its interventions.
Programme Manager of IA-Foundation, Ms. Ope Adedara, described the donation as a timely intervention that would help prepare beneficiaries for an increasingly digital world.
“We are grateful to British Airways for this generous gesture. It is a timely boost to our ongoing efforts to provide beneficiaries with the tools they need to learn and thrive in today’s increasingly digital world,” Adedara said.
She noted that the laptops would be deployed to support learning, research and the overall educational development of the children.
The foundation also called on more corporate organisations, development partners and individuals to invest in expanding educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.
Founder of IA-Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo, said the donation demonstrates that private sector organisations are beginning to recognise the importance of digital inclusion in tackling Nigeria’s education crisis.
“These donations show that corporate organisations increasingly recognise the importance of closing the digital divide and helping Nigerian children stay ahead in the digital age,” Adeagbo said.
She stressed that addressing Nigeria’s out-of-school children challenge requires collective action.
“Tackling the out-of-school children crisis is in everyone’s enlightened self-interest and requires collective action,” she added.
Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children globally, with government and international agencies estimating that over 18 million school-age children are currently outside the formal education system. Poverty, insecurity, child labour, early marriage, displacement and inadequate school infrastructure continue to drive the crisis.
Beyond enrolment, education experts have increasingly identified the digital divide as a major obstacle to quality learning. Millions of children in underserved communities lack access to computers, reliable internet and digital literacy opportunities, leaving them at a disadvantage in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
Successive interventions by the Federal Government have sought to improve school enrolment and learning outcomes through initiatives such as the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, the Universal Basic Education Commission’s interventions, and policies under the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at expanding access to quality education. However, stakeholders say stronger partnerships with the private sector remain critical to closing both the education and digital access gaps.
IA-Foundation has been at the forefront of efforts to return vulnerable children to school. The organisation recently launched a white paper detailing the long-term economic consequences of Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis and introduced the IA Portal, a platform that enables individuals and organisations to identify and sponsor out-of-school children.
Education advocates say initiatives such as British Airways’ laptop donation complement broader efforts to equip disadvantaged children with the digital skills needed to participate in the modern economy while helping bridge the technology gap that increasingly separates vulnerable learners from their peers.
