Nigeria Trains 1,142 Teachers to Bring AI to 57,000 Students

More than 1,000 public school teachers in Nigeria now know how to teach artificial intelligence, and they're passing that knowledge to tens of thousands of students who might otherwise never learn these critical skills.

NerdzFactory Company just announced it's expanding its Experience AI program for 2026 after a breakthrough first year. The initiative trained 1,142 secondary school teachers across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, and Ekiti States to bring AI education into their classrooms.

The program partnered with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to offer completely free training. Teachers learned through a mix of virtual sessions and full-day workshops, making the program accessible to educators in both connected cities and underserved rural communities.

Each trained teacher committed to teaching at least 50 students, putting the program on track to reach more than 57,000 secondary school students in its first phase alone. The curriculum covers how computers learn from data, AI bias, large language models, safety concerns, and career opportunities in the growing digital economy.

State education ministries across southwestern Nigeria are backing the effort. Dr. Olabimpe Aderiye, the Education Commissioner for Ekiti State, participated in the first year rollout, signaling that AI literacy is becoming essential in Nigerian public education.

The 2026 phase moves forward on two tracks. First, NerdzFactory is visiting classrooms to observe what effective AI teaching actually looks like in real Nigerian schools, gathering feedback from both teachers and students to improve future training.

Second, they're training a brand new cohort of teachers right now using the same successful model. The program aims to reach 3,150 teachers total and over 157,000 students nationwide.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't just about technology education. Students learning AI fundamentals today gain tools to participate in the digital economy tomorrow, regardless of where they live or their family's income.

The program proves that teachers in public schools are ready for cutting-edge education when given proper support and curriculum that fits their classroom realities. One teacher's training cascades to 50 students, who carry that knowledge forward into their communities and futures.

Anna Burton-Corea from the Raspberry Pi Foundation expressed excitement about reaching thousands more teachers and students across Nigeria, ensuring young people develop foundational AI understanding no matter their background.

Nigerian students are getting equipped with skills that will shape their country's future in the AI era, one classroom at a time.