The Federal Government has announced that Nigerian students will receive 100 MB of free data daily from October 1, 2026, to access approved educational websites and digital learning platforms.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced this on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of the Zero-Rated Access to Educational Platforms and Content initiative by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The program will initially cover students in public senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions, with about five million learners expected to benefit.
Under the scheme, participating mobile network operators will provide a daily 100MB allowance for accessing approved educational platforms without data charges. The initiative is being implemented in partnership with telecommunications operators and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Alausa said the program was designed to address the cost of internet data, which has become a major barrier to digital learning, particularly for students from low-income households.
He said the government would later extend the initiative to other categories of learners, adding that only credible, safe, and curriculum-aligned educational platforms would qualify.
The NCC said eligible platforms would include learning management systems, digital libraries, educational repositories, teacher development platforms, and technical and vocational training resources.
Major network operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, and Globacom, are supporting the rollout.
The initiative follows stakeholder consultations launched by the NCC in July to develop a framework for providing zero-rated access to approved educational content.
