The Alternative Bank has said that addressing Northern Nigeria’s education challenges will require practical investments in financing, technology, teacher development and learning infrastructure rather than expressions of concern.
- +AltBank pushes financing to tackle education challenges
The bank stated this on Tuesday following the maiden All Northern Schools Conference 2026 held in Kano, where it reaffirmed its commitment to supporting education, financial inclusion and human capital development across the region.
The bank stated this on Tuesday following the maiden All Northern Schools Conference 2026 held in Kano, where it reaffirmed its commitment to supporting education, financial inclusion and human capital development across the region.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, Commercial and Institutional Banking (Middle, South and East), The Alternative Bank, Garba Mohammed, said schools in the region required sustainable support systems capable of improving learning outcomes and expanding access to quality education.
“Northern schools do not need sympathy. They need tools, finance, trained teachers, and partners who stay after the conference ends,” Mohammed said in a goodwill message delivered on his behalf by the Regional Business Executive for Commercial and Institutional Banking (North-West 1), Muhammad Danbichi.
According to him, the region must move beyond traditional approaches to education if it hopes to equip young people with the skills required in a rapidly changing world.
“We can no longer rely solely on traditional methods to prepare our children for the demands of the future. Repositioning our schools means embracing technology and ensuring our educational institutions are not just surviving, but thriving and making a real, lasting impact on society,” he added.
The three-day conference, themed “Repositioning Northern Schools for Innovation, Sustainability and Impact,” brought together school proprietors, education leaders, policymakers, regulators, traditional rulers and development partners from the 19 Northern states.
The event was convened by the President of Intercontinental Private Schools, Kano, Dr Hadiza Baba, in partnership with TeamMasters Limited. It focused on equipping school administrators and teachers with modern leadership and teaching skills.
The bank noted that Northern Nigeria continues to account for a large share of the country’s out-of-school children, while schools in the region face persistent challenges relating to educational financing, teacher capacity, learning outcomes and access to modern infrastructure.
To address some of these gaps, Mohammed said the institution was investing in initiatives aimed at improving foundational learning, teacher effectiveness and literacy levels across communities.
The bank outlined three key areas of intervention: the deployment of educational technology to improve reading and numeracy among early-grade learners, empowering teachers with skills for inclusive and experiential learning, and promoting literacy and access to knowledge.
“At The Alternative Bank, we are financing the deployment of specialised educational technology designed to improve early-grade reading and numeracy. Every child we help keep in school strengthens the future of this region,” Mohammed said.
As part of its interventions, the bank highlighted its support for the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment programme in Sokoto State, through which it said 21,726 adolescent girls across 10 local government areas had been reached.
The financial institution also unveiled a range of products designed specifically for the education sector. According to the bank, participating schools will receive free Point-of-Sale terminals to digitise tuition payments and improve financial transparency. It added that its EduFund product offers non-interest payment plans that enable families to spread education costs from primary school to postgraduate studies.
The bank further stated that school administrators and teachers could access its digital banking platforms, AltMobile and AltPro, while educational institutions could utilise AltMall for the procurement of teaching materials and classroom resources.
Mohammed described education as one of the most strategic investments any nation could make, stressing that strengthening schools would contribute significantly to economic development and social progress.
The conference also featured a keynote address by former Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, as well as contributions from officials of the Kano State Ministry of Education and the Kano State Universal Basic Education Board.
The Alternative Bank said its participation at the conference aligned with the education component of its HEART Strategy, a long-term framework focused on Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Technology.
According to the bank, it has trained hundreds of frontline teachers through a partnership with the Busayo Ademuyiwa Foundation and reached students across the six geopolitical zones through AltInstitute, its learning and certification platform.
