Through a strategic partnership with UNICEF that began in 2019, IHS Nigeria, part of the IHS Towers group, is making a significant and measurable difference to the lives of Nigerians, particularly in the crucial areas of education, healthcare, and community development.

This collaboration transcends mere business operations, demonstrating a deep-seated commitment to the nation.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Schools and Students

One of the most impactful initiatives is the School-to-School Connectivity project, launched in 2022 by UNICEF.

As a collaborator in this project, IHS Nigeria is on a mission to help bridge the digital divide in education by providing internet connectivity to over 400 public secondary schools and donating more than 200 mini-tablets to schools across underserved communities.

Unlocking new learning resources is key, and through this project, students gain exposure to online educational materials, interactive learning platforms, and valuable digital tools.

This complements the Nigeria Learning Passport, a vital online and offline curriculum application currently reaching approximately 1 million users, designed by UNICEF in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.

Saving Lives: a Multi-Pronged Approach to Covid-19

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, IHS Nigeria played a vital role in supporting national response efforts. Their contributions included:

• Essential supplies: In collaboration with the European Union and APM Terminals, IHS Nigeria co-financed the acquisition and delivery of 10,000 test kits, 15 oxygen concentrators, personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccines, and other vital health supplies to support the Nigerian government through the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). This comprehensive approach helped address critical needs for testing, treating and protecting frontline healthcare workers.

• Expanded testing capacity: Recognizing the importance of widespread testing, IHS Nigeria further collaborated with UNICEF to supply over 130,000 test kits. This significantly increased testing capacity, facilitating the early detection and isolation of cases to help curb the spread of the virus.

“I am immensely grateful for the robust partnership between UNICEF and IHS Nigeria, which has contributed to significant results for children. Our collaborative projects, including the critical oxygen support program, comprehensive COVID-19 interventions, enhancing school connectivity, and the Child-Friendly Communities Initiative (CFCI), have all been pivotal in advancing our mission. Together, we are making substantial strides towards sustainable development and a brighter future for all” –Ms Cristian Munduate, Representative, UNICEF Nigeria. 

Strengthening Healthcare Through an Oxygen Security Project 

Nigeria faces a continued challenge in the availability of medical oxygen, and to help address this, IHS Nigeria is an active partner of UNICEF Nigeria’s Oxygen Security Project. Launched in 2022, this project is supporting the Federal Ministry of Health and has seen the construction of nine Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants across the following states: Ogun, Oyo, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Cross River, and Rivers. These plants aim to ensure a reliable supply of medical oxygen, impacting healthcare facilities’ ability to provide life-saving treatment.

Recognizing the importance of skilled personnel, the project has also trained over 1,445 frontline healthcare workers in oxygen management.

This comprehensive approach ensures not only the availability of oxygen, but also the proper knowledge and expertise to utilise it effectively, ultimately saving lives and improving healthcare outcomes for countless Nigerians.

As an example, the plants installed at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, are designed to target a population of around 1.6 million with an average weekly utilisation volume of approximately 4,000 liters.

Empowering Communities: Child-Friendly Community Initiative (CFCI)

Collaboration between IHS Nigeria and UNICEF has extended beyond schools and hospitals and into the broader community.

Between 2019 and 2022, the Child-Friendly Community Initiative (CFCI) brought together local stakeholders, including community leaders, youth groups, and women’s organisations. Piloted in Lagos, Bauchi, and Cross River States, CFCI served as a model for community-driven development.

CFCI aimed to empower local communities and community leaders to own and drive the delivery of integrated child-centric social services including education, health, and nutrition. The initiative has successfully established elements of decentralised planning and resource management to address child deprivation.

Furthermore, the project used Digital Community Information Systems (DCIS) which collected real-time data on various child-related issues to guide local decision-making.

Using this data, communities were able to target resources effectively, ensuring interventions were aligned to specific, local needs.

This data-driven approach fostered greater efficiency and maximised the impact of available resources on the well-being of children.

A Global Commitment: Partnering with Giga to Map School Connectivity

Furthermore, IHS Towers has taken a global approach to bridging the digital divide in education. It is a key partner in Giga, a global initiative launched by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that aims to map and connect every school in the world to the internet by 2030. Alongside a $4.5 million investment, IHS Towers is providing vital tower data, including in respect of its Nigerian operations, to help Giga create a comprehensive map of internet connectivity. This data is crucial for identifying areas with critical gaps in infrastructure, paving the way for targeted interventions and ensuring no child is left behind in the digital age.

The IHS Nigeria and UNICEF partnership transcends individual projects, presenting a successful model for public-private collaboration.

By combining resources and expertise, they are achieving tangible results in education, healthcare, and community development.

This successful model demonstrates the power of collaboration between the private sector and international organisations.

“At IHS Nigeria, we strive to deliver long-term positive impact across our local communities. Through strategic sustainability partnerships, we continue to contribute to Nigeria’s socio-economic development, with a strong focus on education, healthcare, and community empowerment. We take great pride in collaborating with UNICEF Nigeria and remain committed to fostering a brighter future for Nigeria” – Mohamad Darwish, CEO, IHS Nigeria.

The vision sets out Five Cowries’ ambition to scale up its work to harness the power of arts and culture to enhance learning for children and young adults in Nigeria. 

The vision seeks to build on the success of Five Cowries existing programmes, which have already delivered results in Kano, Kaduna, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos States.

The vision will be delivered through a six-year strategic plan that sets out the actions, and resources required to scale the more inclusive learning pathways that Five Cowries offers by integrating arts and culture into educational experiences to improve learning outcomes. One of the driving theories behind the initiative is that community driven creative learning sustainably develops community resilience.

Ambassador Juan Sell of Spain, who hosted the reception said about the launch, “We are committed to projects that leverage the arts to offer inclusive pathways to education that are responsive to individual learning, social and cultural needs. We are pleased to be able to host the launch of this initiative and wish the Five Cowries team well as they work to broaden their impact over the coming years.”

Since inception, Five Cowries has delivered projects in Kano via its flagship program Mu Shuka Iri (MSI), a community-based learning programme that engages caregivers and children, aged 4 to early teens, in households through a cohort of community educators called ‘Aunties’.

For the first programme – The Children’s Programme (MSI), the 2030 Vision sets out plans to roll out the programme to 19 states by 2030, starting with Kaduna, Kano, Adamawa, and Sokoto, scheduled for 2024 delivery.

FCI’s ambition is to grow the networks of hubs and schools involved in the programme, allowing the project to empower more aunties across our focus States.

The second, Young People’s Programme themed, My Story: My Heritage will provide young people soft skills needed to survive the 21^st century workplace.

Speaking about the vision, Mr. Olumide Adeosun, the Chair of Five Cowries, said, “these programmes offer a route to education that improves school attendance and significantly improves numeracy and literacy outcomes whilst ensuring that no child in the community is left behind.  The Board of Trustees are excited about the planned rollout of this innovative and impactful programme. We are counting on our donors, particularly through these lean times to deliver these programmes to communities that need them the most.”

Polly Alakija, Founder/CEO, Five Cowries says, “These programmes have a proven positive impact on educational outcomes, such as improved numeracy and literacy, as well as transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving and creativity and are fun!” FCI’s goal, she continued, is to, “drive equitable empowerment in underserved communities”.