Junior Achievement (JA) Africa and Prudence Foundation Further Expand Cha-Ching Program to Reach 275,000 Children Across Five African Nations
A non-profit partnership is set to expand financial literacy education to 275,000 children across five African countries, as efforts grow to equip young learners with practical money management skills.
Junior Achievement Africa and Prudence Foundation have launched the 2026 phase of the Cha-Ching Program, targeting primary school pupils in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and Zambia.
The programme, designed for children aged seven to 12, uses teacher-led lessons, animated storytelling and classroom activities to teach four core financial concepts: earning, saving, spending and donating.
The latest rollout marks the largest phase of the partnership since it began in 2016, reflecting growing concern over the gap between children’s access to financial tools and their understanding of how to use them responsibly.
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, mobile money and digital payments are becoming more accessible, but financial literacy remains missing from most primary school curricula, leaving many children without early exposure to essential money skills.
JA Africa President and Chief Executive Officer Simi Nwogugu said the renewed partnership will help address that gap at scale.
“Across sub-Saharan Africa, young people are gaining access to financial tools faster than they are building the knowledge to use them wisely,” Nwogugu said. “We are not just running a program; we are building the foundation for a financially empowered generation.”
The 2026 cycle will train 1,750 teachers across 1,200 schools in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya, reaching 100,000 children. In Zambia, the programme is expected to reach another 175,000 learners.
Prudence Foundation Executive Director Nicole Ngeow said financial education remains key to long-term resilience.
“Financial literacy is a critical foundation for lifelong resilience,” she said, noting the programme has now reached millions of children across Asia and Africa.
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