Google unveiled an Africa-Wide Programs — a number of initiatives across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, reinforcing its efforts to keep children, young people and families safe online.

Brandnewsday reports that world search engine giant, on the 9th of February 2021, through Google.org has granted free online safety books in collaborations with the government for Safer Internet Day.

To aligns with the theme of 2021’s global Safer Internet Day, titled: “Together for a better Internet”, Google has teamed up with several organisations across the continent to boost education efforts and develop programmes around online safety.

Commenting on the development, Google Nigeria‘s Director Juliet Ehimuan stated that “With an estimated 346 million internet users that came online for the first time in the last year, and 376 million new social media users, there is no better time for us to help people stay safe online”.

“We are working with nonprofits and social enterprises to advance their work through Google.org’s Africa Online Safety Fund, while also working with educational institutions and governments across sub-Saharan Africa in order to have a greater impact,” she added.

Google Powers Africa-Wide Programs To keep Internet Users Safe

Administered as part of the Africa Online Safety Fund, Google.org gave a grant to Impact Amplifier and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, to run an open call across the continent to find the most innovative and impactful nonprofit organisations operating in this space. 26 social impact organisations across nine African countries have been selected to receive grants of up to $100,000 each.

The five selected in Nigeria include Epower, LagosMums, Velma Foundation, Hive Creative Guild and Teens Can Code. This funding will be used to boost projects that work to combat online vulnerabilities, disinformation and extremism aimed at children, the youth, families, schools and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

Google has also collaborated with Nigerian author Nomthi Odukoya to create the children’s online safety book ‘How to be Safe Online’. Physical copies of the book will be distributed to 30,000 learners in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa this month, which is also available online on the Read-Along app.

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Speaking further, Ehimuan said: “With more children, young people and families increasingly using the internet to learn and work in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, online safety is a priority for everyone.

“We look forward to the continued empowerment of teachers, parents and guardians with tools to keep children safe online. Continued collaboration with government bodies like Kenya’s Communications Authority, Nigeria’s Public and Private Development Centre, and South Africa’s Department of Social Development, among others, will ensure that we have the necessary backing to make the internet better for all users, especially young children and families across the continent.”

Celebrate Safer Internet day with us by using the Password Manager to save your password with your Google account and Security Checkup. To learn more about our resources to help keep you and your family safer, please visit the Google Safety Center.

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.