Onome Amuge
itel, a leading mobile technology company and tech empowerment brand, has reinforced its community engagement strategy with a fresh investment in education under its flagship “Love Always On” corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
On Monday, October 15, 2025, the brand partnered with the Ise Omoluabi Foundation to deliver back-to-school support to Omolaiye Community Primary School in Agbede, Ikorodu, Lagos. Pupils received learning materials valued at more than N4 million, including school bags, exercise books, pens, pencils and mathematical sets.
For many families in the community, these basic items are often out of reach. According to itel, the intervention is part of its growing effort to position itself not only as a technology brand but also as a partner in nation-building.
Speaking during the CSR outreach, Terngu Simeon Shagba, PR supervisor, itel Mobile Nigeria, highlighted the importance of the initiative.
“itel’s Love Always On is more than a CSR project; it is a reflection of our core value of giving back to underserved communities. By investing in education, we are not just serving as a tech empowerment brand, but also one that is deeply committed to impacting lives positively. This project also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all,” he said.
Oyeneye Teniola Kehinde, the head teacher of Omolaiye Community Primary School,.expressed heartfelt appreciation to itel and the Ise Omoluabi Foundation for the timely intervention.
“On behalf of our school, I sincerely thank itel and Ise Omoluabi Foundation for this generous gesture. Many of our pupils come from families that struggle to provide the most basic school items. These donations will go a long way in boosting their confidence, improving their learning experience, and encouraging them to stay focused on their education,” she noted.
This latest effort continues a track record of CSR interventions by itel in Nigeria. In April 2025, the company commissioned an electric borehole at Brigade Gama (B), Kasuwar Takari community in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, solving a longstanding water scarcity problem for thousands of residents. That project was explicitly linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6, which calls for universal access to clean water and sanitation.
The company also marked Children’s Day on May 27, 2025, with a large-scale educational outreach in partnership with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Channel 10. More than 51 schools benefited from donations of learning materials during a public celebration at NTA’s Yaba grounds in Lagos, further reinforcing itel’s focus on SDG 4.
While the Omolaiye donation represents a small outlay relative to itel’s operations, the impact is significant in a market where education remainsunderfunded. Nigeria’s government allocation to education has hovered between 5–8 percent of annual budgets, well below the UNESCO benchmark of 15–20 percent. Against this backdrop, interventions by private actors, though limited in scale, are often critical stopgaps for schools and households.
For itel, whose market share rests on serving price-sensitive consumers, initiatives that ease household pressures on essentials such as schooling and water access reinforce the company’s image as a brand for the masses. This positioning, analysts note, is particularly valuable in a competitive consumer electronics market squeezed by inflation and weak disposable incomes.
Founded over 15 years ago, itel has built its brand around affordability. With the tagline “Enjoy Better Life,” the company has expanded to more than 80 emerging markets across sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Its product portfolio spans smartphones, feature phones, electronics accessories, home appliances and lifestyle products. In 2024, itel was ranked the world’s number one smartphone brand under $75, as well as the leading global feature phone brand.
