Green Pastures Kiddies Foundation Inaugural Summit: ‘The Child Impact Summit,’ Unveils Vocational Academy

Stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, the civil service, the private sector and the education community converged in Lagos on July 9, 2026, for the Child Impact Summit, organised by Green Pastures Kiddies Foundation (GPK) to mark its 20th anniversary and deliberate on the gaps in the Nigerian education system.

The summit, themed “Closing The Gaps: Strengthening Systems For Better Outcomes,” featured keynote addresses, panel sessions and a fireside chat examining the state of the Nigerian child and the structures meant to nurture him or her for productivity.

Speaking at the event, the Founder and Executive Director of GPK, Tolulope Shodunke, said the Foundation was established 20 years ago when she was 23, funded by her own school fees, which she redirected to the organisation’s first project. She said the Foundation has since grown into an organisation focused on the welfare and development of children in underserved communities across Nigeria.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof Akin Akinpelu, Founder and CEO of Akin Akinpelu Learning & Development (AALD), told the gathering that lasting transformation, whether in a child or an institution, occurs at three levels. He said change must first affect behaviour, then the system or structure sponsoring that behaviour, and ultimately the underlying mental model shaping both. According to him, many interventions in Nigeria’s education sector fail because they target behaviour alone — donations, one-off trainings, awareness campaigns — without addressing the structures or mindsets that produced the problem in the first place.

The place of technology in Nigerian classrooms also came under scrutiny. Contributors and panelists noted that teachers are not being sufficiently trained to adapt to new teaching methods or the growing use of Artificial Intelligence in learning, while curricula in many schools remain outdated and disconnected from current realities.

The Commissioner for Health in Ogun State, Dr Tomi Coker, who featured in a fireside chat, linked classroom outcomes to earlier, often overlooked stages of a child’s development. She spoke extensively on how nutrition, maternal welfare and health system policies shape a child’s development long before that child gets to school. Her position was that strengthening the systems around a child’s health and a mother’s welfare is as central to educational outcomes as reforming the classroom itself.

Other speakers at the summit included Johnson Abbaly, Founder of The Smartan House; Folasade O. Adefisayo of Leading Learning Ltd; Molade Adeniyi, CEO of Teach For Nigeria; Lanre Basamta of Optimus AI Labs; Johnson Ajayi of Mindcraft Coaching Foundation; Caroline Popoola of Alpha Chains Limited and Alpha Childcare Limited; Moronke Azeez, Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board; Dr Joy Isa of Rugby School Nigeria; Abiodun Owo; Damilola Feyide, Founder of Let It Shine Academy; and Olufunmilola Oyetunji of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board.

A highlight of the summit was the official launch of GPK Academy, a vocational skills hub for children in underserved communities, including those who would rather acquire a marketable skill than continue in the conventional school system. The founder in her launch address said the initiative was designed to give children a structured and legitimate alternative pathway to formal learning.

Speakers and stakeholders at the summit put forward the following recommendations for strengthening outcomes for the Nigerian child: Government at all levels should invest in continuous, structured retraining of teachers to keep pace with new pedagogical models and AI-driven learning tools.

Curriculum reviewers should overhaul outdated content to reflect current realities and future workforce needs.
Education reform should be designed to address behaviour, structure and mental models simultaneously, rather than behaviour alone.

Health authorities should strengthen maternal health and nutrition programmes as a foundational, non-negotiable part of any education strategy.

Government, private sector and civil society should expand support for vocational and alternative learning pathways, such as GPK Academy, for children the conventional school system does not adequately serve.

Green Pastures Kiddies Foundation reaffirmed its commitment to a society where no child is left behind by virtue of circumstances, pledging to build on 20 years of grassroots work by scaling initiatives like GPK Academy and deepening partnerships across government, industry and civil society.

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BellaNaija is a Media Partner for Green Pastures Kiddies Foundation 

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