COVID-19: Ecobank partners Google to keep children learning during lockdown

The Ecobank Group has partnered Google to keep children learning during lockdowns while the world seeks health solution for the COVID-19 pandemic. The pan-African bank is leveraging its distribution and partner networks to raise awareness of literacy apps in the Google Play Store to support the education of children who are at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This collaboration will help children study online and stay on top of their education

As COVID-19 continues to affect everyone’s lives, Ecobank is committed to protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of its customers across Africa. With social distancing being enforced and schools closed, parents are looking for ways to help children keep up with their learning and homework. Ecobank is helping to raise awareness of locally relevant, globally applicable and accredited literacy and learning apps that support parents’ efforts to educate their children at home.

The apps are free on the Google Play Store, with specific apps available in local languages.

Ecobank is conscious of children’s online safety and security, especially as they spend more time at home and online. Ecobank had encouraged parents across Africa to join Google’s ‘Online Safety for Families & Parents’ webinar, which was hosted on YouTube on Thursday 7^th May at 11:00 AM GMT. Link here (https://bit.ly/2WyUcAR).

“We believe that children are Africa’s future. At this unprecedented time, it is more important than ever that parents use technology to help their children continue to learn and improve their knowledge. Ecobank is committed to closing the literacy and digital skills gap in Africa, and therefore ensuring that the education of Africa’s future generation of leaders does not suffer as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Head, Group Consumer Banking Ecobank, Nana Abban.

He added: “Countries across Africa have historically had limited access to educational platforms. We are leveraging on our distribution network to make access to education as easy as the tap of an app, keeping children educated and enlightened at the same time, whilst also keeping them safe online.”
A range of literacy apps  are available now from the Google Play Store for Android devices. The key learning apps now available include:

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• ‘Bolo’ is a speech-based reading app that encourages children to read aloud, helping improve their reading skills by providing positive reinforcement when they read correctly and giving suggestions when they don’t.
• ‘Feed the Monster’, which uses proven play to learn techniques to engage children and help them learn to read.
• ‘Akili’s Alphabet’, ‘Read with Akili’ and ‘Spelling with Akili’ can help children get a head start with their language skills. 
• ‘Sema Run’, ‘Sema Trace’ and ‘Sema Goal’ allow children to play fun games to practice everything they’ve learnt. The apps can be downloaded now from the Google Play Store: https://bit.ly/2L9PAvS