Hello good evening lagosians. Good evening good citizens of Nigeria. I hope you all are doing very very well this lovely lovely evening. It is so exciting to be here.
This is the last Friday in the month of July. July is already gone. It is so interesting how this month has gone by so fast. I keep saying that this is like the fastest world but longest month. We have like about five weeks. Not even four weeks, which is very, very interesting to have to deal with.
And it has actually been an exciting month really. And I’m super excited and super stoked that we’re already at the end of July. Before you know it, you’re hearing Christmas before you do it, you’re hearing the election.
And if you’re listening, please please, if you’ve not gotten your PVC, go and get it to o. Even me self, I’m talking to myself here, I’ve taken my biometrics. I’ve done everything. It is just to pick up my card, which isn’t ready yet.
They said it won’t be ready till I think later maybe in August. That is what I’ve heard. And so, I’m just excited about that. I am going to get my PVC and I’m going to ensure that I vote who I feel is right and you all should vote for who you feel is right and ensure that the person will lead this nation forward.
And so last week we had a conversation with, you know, a couple of representatives from the Children Empowerment funds. You know about eradicating end period poverty. You know having to deal with a lot of girls, especially in the northern states who don’t have access to basic necessities for especially, when they’re going through their menstrual cycle, and this is really trying to eradicate. They are trying to eradicate poverty and try to create awareness about how we all our citizens can support such an initiative, no matter how small like they said, N500 is enough to get I think a pantyliner or a panty for these girls that especially in the northern states.
And now this week, we’re still on this whole idea of you know, eradicating poverty. Because, or we need to remove Nigeria from being the poverty capital of the world. I hate that thing as much as I say it. I do hate that statement of Nigeria being the poverty capital of the world, we need to change that narrative.
We need to move Nigeria forward and considering what has been happening lately, you know the rise of dollar dollars has been on the steady rise. Why am I even saying steady? It is not steady. Some extreme rise, you know?! I think, I can’t remember what day it was. I think it was a very weird thing because in the office on Monday we having the conversation, and we were saying Dollar is 650. This was only Monday. By Thursday, we were hearing dollar is 720.
But like how in three days those dollars rise by that much? So, it’s very very challenging thing where we are facing, especially in Nigeria and but there’s a role that technology has to play, especially with eradicating poverty and bringing us out into the next level that Nigeria needs to be on.
And did you know that digital literacy is among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, UN SDGs? I’m sure a lot of us always hear SDGs, SDGs and so digital literacy is among that for 2030. And it is aimed at helping Nigerian youth leapfrog beyond the digital age and have access to education and reduce unemployment. Thank God for the advent of technology, which even spiraled in its increase during the COVID-19 period.
That was a very, very crucial time where technology played a very vital role in ensuring that everyone had access to technology and access to learning and have access to various numerous numbers of things.
And today, I have with me a very special guest who is on our topic today on the Techpreneur. And his name is favored Chukwuedo. Did I pronounce that right?
Favour: Yeah, you got this.
Dami: Ok, great. For the first time ever. I guess I wasn’t ready (Laughs). Yeah, yeah. And so, it’s very interesting. Thank you, Favour for coming to the show today on the Techprenueur. And Favour is the co-founder and Chief Technology officer of Digilearns, a social impact startup launched during the peak of COVID-19, like I mentioned, where technology began to go on the rise and to address the learning needs of children in low- and middle-income communities in Nigeria, through the provision of quality learning content, inexpensive digital devices delivered via SMS and USSD.
Which is very, very interesting because USSD not everybody understands that, but it’s very, very essential. Not everybody has a smartphone. Not everybody has a smartphone, which is very very interested in this day and this time. And so, thank you again once again for coming to the show, Mr Favour.
Favour: Thank you so much
Dami: It’s a pleasure to have you and come and share with us in light of how we can use technology to change the narrative of Nigeria and serve Nigeria to the next level. You know, like they say, children are the future of tomorrow and they need to be, I mean, many children nowadays know how to use iPads.
Favour: Yeah
Dami: With their eyes closed. Which is very, very interesting, you know a 2-year-old carries iPad and they will be acting on it or playing around it. He’s been using it for 10 years
Favour: Exactly
Dami: Which is very interested but thank you so much for coming. So, and, can you tell us you know about your startup digital Learns and how it works?
Favour: Thank you so much and just to get started, Digilearns is the (voice becomes inaudible) solution in Nigeria that caters for the learning needs of out of schools. It has born out of the peak of the pandemic. When you know we didn’t have digital devices for some people
Dami: Yeah
Favour: Students were out of school and some parents couldn’t afford, you know, home lessons. Not to talk about smartphones
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: and then look at the cost of Internet. So will you now factor in the kind of people that are in Disenfranchised communities
Dami: Hmmm hmmm
Favour: say, IDP camps for example,
Dami: Yeah
Favour: It’s going to be very, very difficult for them to even continue learning
Dami: Definitely
Favour: and then myself and my partner, Olarenwaju Gideon.
Dami: Ok
Favour: We came together like, Can we provide solution that can address the needs of these people?
Dami: Hmmm hmmm
Favour: And the only direction we explored was SMS, USSD
Dami: Right
Favour: So USSD for example, is the normal star (*), not to endorse any MNO, right?
Dami: *
Favour: *112# or whatever
Dami: Yeah
Favour: You can actually dial our USSD code to continue learning. So interestingly, it’s surprising
Dami: Yeah. ‘Cause I was how, you know like, when USSD, I usually think of banks * this, it gives you a list of options. Next option. I’m trying to imagine how you know how, how does that work? How do you get the information to them to learn what they need to learn?
Favour: So that yeah, that’s one of the question, we get asked every time. So, there’s actually a solid opportunity that exists with USSD and SMS. That is the first thing
Dami: Yeah
Favour: And secondly, it’s not like a mobile keypoint. I don’t know how that started out right. You know, I’m not sure, you schooled in Nigeria.
Dami: Yeah (Voice becomes inaudible)
Favour: Just assume you schooled in Nigeria.
Dami: Yeah
Favour: So, there’s this keypoints that we used to prepare for examinations.
Dami: Yeah
Favour: It’s like it’s small 2 * 2 booklets. Yeah, I can see people smiling about it.
(Dami laughs)
You know?! So, rather than taking eight or nine key points in your pocket
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: you could actually use Palasa. That’s what we call it. We call it low feature phone
Dami: Hmm hmm. I know
Favour: You could actually put all of those your eight or nine key points into this small mobile device
Dami: Hmmm
Favour: And then people in this disenfranshised communities can get access to it. And interesting thing is, in in two out of every home, you will find a palasa phone there. And I’m using the word, permit my word, right?! It is called low feature phone.
Dami: (Voice is inaudible) What I call it is touch light phone.
Favour: Touch light phone.
Dami: That is what I call it (laughs)
Favour: So you will see, at least two in everyone you will find a feature phone in there. Touch light phone
Dami: Yeah
Favour: We could actually explore opportunities around education in that direction
Dami: Yeah
Favour: so that’s why we started up the Digilearns.
Dami: Ok, that’s very interesting, you know? I mean, especially when it comes to, you know, providing solutions and this is very very, very a worthy course rather, and it’s it’s very very, I’m actually intrigued about that whole using that USSD thing to very very much, for the kids, especially children in the low and I think this could even be a learning point for even some of the parents, I think.
Favour: Hmm hmm
Dami: Having to see that these things, you know exist, and so far, you started this in 2020
Favour: Yes, we started in 202. It was the peak of the pandemic
Dami: And so far, can tell us about, you know, the progress of the initiative and you know, combatting illiteracy, how, what’s your, the tell-tale stories that you know that someone has come to you like well, thank you for this platform. What has it been like in your growth?
Favour: So, first thing first, right, Digilearns has really opened up opportunities for us, right?! The first thing is that students in Camp David in Abuja,
Dami: Hmm
Favour: You can go there. You ask about how Digilearn has been helpful to them
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: That is the first thing, as a testing, and then just to give us a context of how we provide the solutions to them. So, we actually started with those that are preparing for terminal examinations
Dami: Right
Favour: SS1, SS2, SS3. Because USSD just requires just prompts
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: Select one, select two, select three and then, you will your level progression up that way.
Dami: Yeah
Favour: So, it’s easier to actually deploy that kind of solutions for this set of people than for the lower class, like it’s kind of primaries from level Kids to the rest of them.
Dami: Ok
Favour: So, we turn up the solution to those are preparing for terminal examinations. And interestingly, when you, even if you use our USSD code, *347*744#
Dami: Ok
Favour: Right? If you should explore some of our quizzes there
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: they’re practically going to fail most of them, but if you then take our learning contents, that’s the key points on our platform and interesting thing, let me just make it interesting for everybody.
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: On our platform, you have access to plenty learning contents: biology, geography, math, English, you know, we have all of these contents
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: All of these contents. You can see practice for WAEC, NECO, JAMB, or UTME on the same platform with just a palasa phone.
Dami: Right
Favour: And then you have like a 10-year period from the previous year
Dami: Yeah
Favour: So, students don’t have to keep running around with booklets or anything, or you know?! Parents don’t have to spend so much money, you know?! getting a private that can, you know?! Come teach their kids.
Dami: Yeah
Favour: They can actually follow through this content
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: And like about the interesting thing about it is when you go through our Quiz, you’re probably will never get everything
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: But the moment you are following through our contents, your learning score is going to increase by 200%
Dami: Hmmm. Interesting then how? How do you? How did you I know, so this your 200% is it based on what has played out so far?
Favour: So, we have a dashboard, right?!
Dami: Ok
Favour: When you’re onboarded on our platform, The first quiz that you take, we get to see it.
We get access your learning progress.
Dami: Ok
Favour: The moment we see a progression on your learning contents and retake the quiz, you get to see your progression
Dami: Ok
Favour: So, if you are, if you are making progress, we see. So, from our average, interestingly, we were on the UK-Nigeria tech hub accelerator program.
Dami: Ok
Favour: And that sort of, it was together with the UK-Nigeria tech hub, The Venture Platform and (voice becomes inaudible)
Dami: Ok
Favour: So that sort of made us do a bit of AB testing, so we do it for those people that has started learning content.
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: It didn’t do so well. Those that just embedded, didn’t do so well. But that took our contents and tech quiz again, their learning scores increased by 200%
Dami: Ok
Favour: You can see the many opportunities that exist people that are not, for students in some states that are not, you know, doing every terminal examinations
Dami: hmmm hmm
Favour: With our content, with our products, they can actually use this content to prepare them for.
You know, terminal explanations
Dami: Ok, I mean that is very very very interesting really. That is, I mean, it’s nice to see that you’ve also run like you mentioned AB testing and run a test on these items, in particular because it’s not just. It’s not just like you mentioned sitting down in front of your dashboard and like.
Favour: Yeah
Dami: Ok, they’re doing it fine. It’s actually using that data to improve.
Favour: (Cuts in) on our solutions as well.
Dami: Distributions as well. So, at this point I would open up the phone lines and for anyone who has any questions, especially on this and how they can actually partake with them. Digi…
Favour: Digilearns
Dami: Digilearns. Sorry. and and how to you know use the USSD. How do you train up your child and you prepare your child for I mean, no one, no one, I mean everyone wants their child to pass the WAEC, JAMB, etc., please do feel free to call us on 0700-923-923-923. That is 0700-923-923-923. Or you can send a WhatsApp message on 0817-313-6193. Again, that is 0817-313-6193.
So, you can call in. Have any questions, have any suggestions, even to digilearns here. Because as much as they are trying to teach other people, they are also open to learning. Which I’m very much sure about.
Favour: Absolutely
Dami: And so, from your conversation so far, it feels like you are targeting a lot of you know secondary school students per se. But in coming, I mean is their plan, are their plans to target more than the secondary school like you know during this period where there’s, especially, ASUU strike
Favour: Hmm hmm
Dami: a lot of university students have been home for, it is up to six months now, I think.
Favour: Almost
Favour: Which is very very very, very unfortunate. But a lot of them tend to, you know, a lot of universities and students tend to, you know, go into business. Those small small menial job there. Some of them have turned into Tik T.O.K, influencers.
Favour: Which is still amazing.
Dami: I mean by all means, no joke about that. But are there any current or upcoming partnership with stakeholders, especially the Nigerian education sector here? To aid learning with these various groups of students especially, you know the government, I know ASSU strike, but as I mentioned, your target audience seems to be your secondary school
Favour: Hmm hmm
Dami: Are there plans to expand to other grades of you know, of learning? And are there any conversations or upcoming or aspiring partnerships especially with stakeholders within the education sector?
Favour: Thank you. I think, what I think we can do for university students you know that are at home because of the ASUU strike is, on our platform, we have a feature called “Ask A Teacher” feature
Dami: OK
Favour: Where we onboard teachers, you know, certified teachers, on our platform
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: And students can students with your palasa phone can actually text. Example, what is production or reproduction?
Dami: Hmm mmm
Favour: Or that is the gestation period of maybe a horse or a cow? And then the teacher within that states that actually provide response via SMS
Dami: Hmmm
Favour: So, what we can do is, we can actually, you know, the next quarter, to embed some other students
Dami: Ok
Favour: At University one that can eat the learning of these, you know, the younger ones
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: The interesting thing is if we don’t prepare our young ones for the future of work, we are still going to be around the same cycle
Dami: The same cycle, yeah
Favour: So, what we can do is to try to open up the next feature for, or next call, right? For teachers and then have students, university students get on the board on the platform
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: and then using incentives can actually go a long way in ensuring sustainability
Dami: Ok, and any conversations with anyone in the education sector, any conversation.
Favour: So, I think, yeah, so quite quite a lot of conversations and the interesting thing is that we did have a conversation regarding the curriculum
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: So, we had to adapt the curriculum to our current reality and that happened with through the educational system in Nigeria
Dami: Yeah
Favour: So very much, we are still open to further collaborations with other stakeholders that actually.
Make this work
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: Young (voice becomes inaudible) in Nigeria
Dami: Ok, I mean just like you even mentioned, just like you were saying, have you ever considered the idea of a “Student Teach Student”? It just dawned on me, as you mentioned about university students, you know, teaching, maybe secondary school students, and the rest. But it dawned on me, what about students’ teachings to students? You know, especially university. You know you have that, because I’m trying to tell you uniiversity because there are challenges. I mean very much the challenges that they are going through, but even within that you have conversations, and we have a caller.
(Call comes in)
Dami: Thank you for calling The Good Citizen Show. What’s your name and where you calling from?
(Call ends abruptly)
Oh! we lost that call. Do keep trying. O700-923-923-923. Again, that is 0700-923-923-923. Do not give up if network is frustrating you. Keep trying. I’m sure you’ll be able to get through.
So, Like I said, have you ever considered you know, like how university and you have you go and meet another fellow peer, who would most likely, who who understands more, maybe the subject better than you do. Is there a, I’m giving you free solution, but I’m just saying that you know, especially even if within the school
Favour: (Cuts in) University environment.
Dami: I mean connects with your peers per se. Because you don’t know everybody. I mean, imagine a very large school, like over 500 students in the department with department or doing a course. Maybe English for example.
Favour: Hmm hmm
Dami: You may not know everyone. Not that you might, you wouldn’t know everyone
Favour: Hmm hmm
Dami: Yeah, I mean the student teach feature, is that something you’re looking into?
Favour: So, I think yes. But in 2 ways. So, first thing, we’re not trying to cut short of our mission.
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: So, our initial target is to, you know, we provide the solution to disenfranchised communities
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: So, you didn’t read some part of my bio. I also lead programs for “Find Workers”
Dami: Right
Favour: An interesting thing about it is is that we actually have solutions that actually cater for this challenge you’re actually bringing up
Dami: Right
Favour: So, you have young people that have built projects that you know, there’s some sort of mental pairing.
Dami: Ok
Favour: Within institutions
Dami: Ok
Favour: So, this set of people get to form cohorts to teach other students, you know, maybe help them in mathematics, in mathematical modelling, you know, and the rest of them. So these solutions already exist, but we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel.
Dami: I can imagine
Favour: Digilearns is here to just connect
(Favour and Dami laughs)
Dami: I can very much imagine. Just before we continue the conversation, we will go in a very very, very short break and when we return, we’ll continue this conversation and try to round it up. Time just goes by so very fast.
But we’ll be right back on The Good Citizen Show. So do keep trying to call on 0700-923-923-923.
Do have, why I am saying do have? Stay tune actually. Don’t go anywhere.
Stay tuned. We will be right back
(Break)
And welcome back to The Good Citizen show on Inspiration 92.3 FM. I’m your host for this evening.
Dami Cruz, I don’t think I mentioned my name earlier today as well. It just dawned on me as well. So, apologies.
if you’ve been listening and been wondering who has been speaking to you. I’m Dami Cruz. I’m your host for The Good Citizen show this evening. And for those of you who are missing mummy G. O., don’t worry, she’ll be back soon. Do not fret, she’s just very, very busy.
Do not fret our our very, very amiable man in the house here is also wondering what is going on with Mummy G.O. Don’t worry. She’ll be back very, very soon.
(Laughs)
I’m sorry actually talking about the Techpreneur. I’m trying to ensure our digital literacy within Nigeria and especially within the underprivileged and underserved communities as well. And we’re just talking about, you know the solutions they provide, especially within the student-to-student sector, I mean student-to-student paring, especially within institutions.
And now from a Techpreneur, because you are a tech-entrepreneur. So, if from a tech-entrpreneur point of view, can you tell us about how tech has evolved to promote the ease of, you know, learning in Nigeria?
Favour: So, first things first, I first want to appreciate all the young people out there that are building amazing solutions using technology. It shows that there is quite some future that exists with the future of work
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: Right?! And the boundless possibilities that exist around innovation
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: So, technology, and how it has aided education, you know, sort of learning. It’s longer business as usual where you have to be, you know within the four walls.
Dami: Yeah
Favour: Right, you can actually, you know, own a smartphone and still connect with someone
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: You know, across Africa
Dami: Definitely. Across the world
Favour: Across the world. Yeah. so tech has just become a driver.
Dami: Hmmm
Favour: right? It is not replacing some forms ff teaching but,
Dami: Yeah
Favour: It’s actually going to make everyone seated and then become a driver, you know, to meeting up with the existing reality.
Dami: Yeah
Favour: There are some things that we would not have opportunity if we enclosed in the four walls of the classroom
Dami: Hmm hmm
Favour: But, it’s, you know, it’s painful for example, like the opportunities are endless.
Dami: Very much endless. Very much endless. And it’s very interesting to see, oh, okay. We were just about to ask a few questions, and someone has already email or sent to the message. So, you’re about to ask how people can actually reach out to you, just as round up on the show. How can we reach out? How can we, do you have websites? I know you mentioned the USSD code briefly, so maybe just repeat that a couple of times.
But someone is asking, “Good evening. My question, where is your office located in Lagos?” As a tech, I’m sure you don’t. I’m sure you work virtually, but we will answer that question. And “Do you train I.T student and those that want to learn, is it free or are they to paying some amount of money before acceptance?” OK. Festus from Charity Road. Ok
Favour: I’ll run through it from the top. First of start f with the USSD code.
Dami: Ok
Favour: We have two USSD code, righT?! but if you are using my 9Mobile. 9Mobile sim card.
Dami: Yeah
Favour: Now, I’m not trying to endorse them
Dami: Yeah
Favour: You can actually explore using *3549#
Dami: Okay
Favour: And then you through the prompts
Dami and Favour: *3549#
Dami: Ok
Favour: Also, on any other mobile network, right?! MTN, Etisalat, even 9Mobile, you can actually explore using *347*774#. Yeah, so you can explore using those directions
Dami: Ok
Favour: You can follow the prompt. So, our office is not in Lagos. We have an office in Abuja
Dami: Right
Favour: Yeah, and the future of work, you don’t have to be in a physical location
Dami: Hmm hmmm
Favour: My partner is currently in the UK.
Dami: Oh! ok
Favour: The other is in Ireland
Dami: Ah
Favour: and I’m here in Nigeria. So, the next thing is if we train IT students. We did not train. But, if there are opportunities, please check us out on Instagram on Twitter. On Twitter, it’s DigilearnsHQ.
Dami: Digi Lens, right?
Favour: Like digital learning. So, Digilearns
Dami: Ok.
Favour: And then the last one is, those that want to learn. So, if you use our shared code, you don’t pay fee. It’s on us
Dami: Ok
Favour: But, if you use our dedicated code right, you must be very miniscule amount, right?! From your from your airtime,
Dami: Alright.
Favour: So, the thing is, if all learning contents can help out of school students, why don’t put it out there for them to use for free
Dami: Yeah, OK, that’s fine. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Time is the already fast spent for us. But one question I will just ask you, on trivial question I will ask you, in addition to movies, horror or sci-fi?
Favour: Horrors
(Dami and Favour laughs)
Dami: Thank you for coming again, Mr. Favour
Favour: Thank you so much
Dami: Have a lovely time and have a lovely weekend. We’ll see you early again next week, Friday at 5:30 PM on Inspiration 92.3 FM.
This is brought to you by CSR-in-Actio and sponsored by Act Foundation.
Do have a lovely weekend and bye bye
