The BBC World Service is expanding its multilingual educational offering into West Africa with Dars Hausa, a new television, radio and digital learning programme for Hausa-speaking children whose formal education has been disrupted. The first 12-episode series is scheduled to launch on 17 November 2026.
Produced by BBC News Hausa in Abuja, the programme targets children aged 11 to 16, providing lessons in English, mathematics and science in Hausa. It will also include content on mental health and inspirational stories designed to support young audiences facing barriers to education.
The launch extends the Dars format, which began in 2023 in Pashto and Dari for children in Afghanistan unable to attend school. An Arabic-language edition followed in February 2025. The Hausa version brings the same educational approach to West African audiences, particularly children affected by conflict, displacement and insecurity in northern Nigeria.
The scale of Nigeria’s education challenge underlines the programme’s intended relevance. The United Nations estimates that nearly 19 million Nigerian children are out of school, with insecurity, the threat of abduction and displacement among the factors disrupting access to formal education.
Dars Hausa will be distributed across multiple platforms. BBC News Hausa will broadcast the programme on Sundays at 05:30 GMT, with a repeat at 19:30 GMT. Audiences will also be able to access episodes through the BBC News Hausa YouTube channel and social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok. Radio distribution will include medium-wave services and partner FM stations.
For African broadcasters, the initiative illustrates how international public-service media organisations are extending their reach through local-language programming and multiplatform distribution rather than relying exclusively on dedicated regional television channels. The inclusion of partner radio stations is particularly relevant in markets where radio remains an important means of reaching audiences beyond major urban centres.
The programme also presents a potential opportunity for local broadcasters to widen access to educational content through existing transmission networks. Its longer-term reach will depend on distribution availability, audience engagement and whether children facing barriers to schooling can access the lessons consistently.
