Junior Achievement (JA) Africa on Wednesday launched a digital literacy and online safety program in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The organisation said the move responds to increasing online risks for children who already live in mobile-first digital spaces. JA Africa aims to arm young learners with practical internet safety skills. It said access must come with control, awareness, and risk recognition, especially for children who connect before safety lessons reach them.
Google.org invested US$1.5 million in the project. JA Africa said the funding will enable training for 250,000 children, 6,000 teachers, and 8,000 parents and caregivers by 2027. Simi Nwogugu, CEO of JA Africa, said Africa built widespread connectivity faster than child protection systems could match. She said this imbalance left many young users exposed to digital traps, scams, and online pressure. Nwogugu explained that the program will teach learners how manipulation works online. It will also train them to protect personal information. She added that learners will practice how to respond when threats show up. She said the mission is clear: safe judgement must travel at the same speed as connectivity.
Curriculum Built for Real-World Digital Conduct
Google’s Be Internet Awesome toolkit forms the backbone of the curriculum. JA Africa said the coursework shows children how scams move through trusted contacts and how personal information gets extracted without alarms. It mapped lesson design to common online situations instead of lecture-heavy delivery models. The plan also adds structured steps for reporting threats and rehearsed responses for schools and families. Through Inter land, learners face choice-based scenarios that demand safe decisions in real time. The organisation said this makes safety routines automatic, not theoretical.
School and Community Networks Drive the Rollout
Schools and community learning teams will deliver the program in structured learning cycles. JA Africa said the outreach path pushes into rural school belts often placed last in ICT-in-school plans. It integrated the curriculum with public learning technology plans in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria to avoid splitting programmes or confusing teachers. The organisation said this reduces disruption and enables smoother uptake for educators and families.
Protection Policy Trails Internet Adoption
JA Africa cited GSMA data showing that 18% of children aged 5 to 7 in sub-Saharan Africa already use mobile internet. It also referenced ITU estimates that a new child connects every half-second worldwide. JA Africa said these figures explain the urgency. It said minors now operate in digital environments built for adults. Many of these spaces lack basic early-age safety planning. JA Africa said that by 2024, 39 African countries finished national online child safety strategies. It added that 32% were drafting their plans. Another 41% had not started the process.
JA Africa said it will push safety messages through large-audience information drives. It will also expand youth-created digital content. It plans to join key regional events, starting with Safer Internet Day 2026. JA Africa also opened cooperation channels with Education, ICT, and Communications ministries. It believes the partnerships can set shared online safety benchmarks. It said these benchmarks can guide countries building child online protection systems.
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