Akwa Ibom Launches Nigeria’s First Jolly Phonics Literacy Hub
Nigeria’s first Jolly Phonics Literacy Hub has been launched in Akwa Ibom State following nearly 20 years of literacy research and programme data showing sustained improvements in early-grade reading outcomes.
The Hub, located at Life-Long Development Academy in Uyo which was officially unveiled yesterday, is intended to serve as a national laboratory for evidence-based literacy development and teacher capacity building.
The event drew a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including education policymakers, development partners, researchers, teachers, community leaders, and international collaborators who all highlighted the initiative’s positioning as both a grassroots intervention and a scalable national model for literacy reform.
Delivering the opening address, the Director of LDA, Comfort Ekpo, traced the intellectual roots of the Hub to a 2006 literacy research project she conducted at the University of Uyo.
The study focused on persistent reading and writing challenges among early-grade learners in Akwa Ibom State and tested the effectiveness of phonics-based, multisensory instructional methods.
According to Prof. Ekpo, “what began as academic research gradually evolved into a large-scale intervention with consistent, measurable outcomes. Teachers trained in the Jolly Phonics methodology reported stronger phonemic awareness among pupils, higher learner engagement, and marked improvements in reading confidence and comprehension.
“These outcomes were not anecdotal, they were validated through classroom monitoring, structured assessments, and external evaluations. The evidence demanded a permanent institutional space where training, mentoring, innovation, and community engagement could converge hence the Jolly Phonics Literacy Hub.” she said
In his keynote address, Gary Foxcroft of Universal Learning Solutions and Safe Child Africa described Akwa Ibom as Nigeria’s most advanced Jolly Phonics implementation site.
He recalled that between 2010 and 2012, Safe Child Africa, in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), trained 3,449 Primary 1 and 2 teachers across the state. That initial investment, he said, laid the foundation for sustained growth.
By 2025, the programme had expanded to: Over 8,500 teachers trained in Akwa Ibom State; 243,597 teachers trained nationwide using the Jolly Phonics methodology; More than 100 SUBEB and Local Government Education Authority officials trained, who collectively conducted over 3,500 school support and monitoring visits; annual large-scale literacy assessments, providing longitudinal data on pupil performance.
One of the most compelling indicators presented was pupil reading performance. Monitoring reports showed that by 2025, Primary 3 pupils in Akwa Ibom were reading approximately 3.6 times more words correctly than their counterparts in 2021, reflecting accelerated literacy acquisition over a four-year period.
Foxcroft added that head teachers across the state have consistently acknowledged the programme’s impact, particularly in boosting learner confidence and decoding skills.
Also speaking, Naomi Foxcroft highlighted findings from independent evaluations, including the External Evaluation of the Read and Write Forever (RAWF) Project and peer-reviewed academic studies.
The evaluations revealed that pupils taught using Jolly Phonics recorded average reading-age gains of up to nine months within a single academic year, compared with just 0.07 months associated with traditional literacy teaching methods over the same period. These outcomes, she noted, place Akwa Ibom well above national and regional benchmarks for early-grade reading progression.
Mrs. Foxcroft explained that the newly commissioned Hub is structured to operate as: A training, resource, and display centre for literacy and learning materials; a continuous professional development and mentoring hub for teachers; community-accessible literacy space supporting learners from early childhood to adulthood; a data and innovation platform supporting literacy both within and outside formal schooling.
To ensure accountability and measurable impact, the Hub will track key performance indicators (KPIs), including: Number of children, teachers, and parents accessing the Hub; Frequency and scale of literacy events and workshops; Levels of parental engagement in home-based phonics activities; Pre- and post-test assessmentsof learners using the Jolly Phonics Monitoring App; Teacher competency gains, measured through self-assessment forms and structured evaluations.
SUBEB Executive Chairman Anietie Etuk, represented at the event, reaffirmed that the Hub aligns with Akwa Ibom State and national basic education frameworks, ensuring that its benefits extend to public schools across the state.
In a vote of thanks, the event moderator, Maria Etokebe, emphasized the Hub’s broader significance. While physically located in Akwa Ibom, she said, its strategic purpose is national.
“Akwa Ibom is not merely participating in a programme, It is leading a national conversation on literacy, grounded in evidence, data, and measurable impact.”she noted.
Dignitaries at the commissioning included Prof. Comfort Ekpo (Jolly Phonics Team Lead), Ngozi Nwosu, Dr. Maria Etokebe, as well as state coordinators Mary Ekanem and Mfonobong No
