Esther Oluku
Queen Consort of Warri Kingdom, Olori Atuwase III, will on Saturday, July 11, 2026, deliver the keynote address at the Early Years Childcare Conference, themed ‘Beyond Care: Positioning Early Childhood Education as a National Priority.’
Olori Atuwase will join the first lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi; Head Counsellor at WARIF, Gloria Joacquim, alongside other selected speakers to spotlight the role of early childhood education in shaping the development of children in society.
This year’s Early Years Childhood Conference is the fifth in the series of conferences hosted by the Alfa Chains Limited founded by United Kingdom based Nigerian, Caroline Popoola, bringing together educators, school leaders, developmental learning practitioners and policymakers committed to improving outcomes for young children.
For Popoola, the conference has grown from an annual event into a long-term commitment to raising professional standards, strengthening leadership and ensuring that early childhood education receives the national attention it deserves.
“Every child deserves the strongest possible start in life. When we invest in the earliest years, we are investing in the future of our communities, our economies and our nations.
“Too often, we wait until children enter primary or secondary school before we begin talking about educational outcomes. By then, we have already missed some of the most important years of a child’s development,” Popoola said.
The Early Years Childcare Conference, she said, has helped create opportunities for educators to access professional development, exchange best practice ideas and engage in meaningful conversations about safeguarding, leadership, policy and the future of early childhood education.
Her commitment to social impact is further demonstrated through the Caroline Popoola Foundation, which provides educational bursaries, food support and assistance to vulnerable families, educators and schools.
Popoola has also served as a school governor at Wyborne Primary School, contributing to governance, safeguarding and strategic oversight, while continuing to advocate for stronger leadership and higher standards across the education sector.
Despite building a successful childcare organisation, she insists that financial growth has never been the ultimate measure of success.
“There are easier ways to run a business,” she said. “But when you see the difference quality early education makes to a child’s future, you realise this work is about far more than childcare. It is about changing lives.”
As conversations around education reform continue across Africa, Popoola believes the earliest years deserve greater attention from governments, policymakers and society as a whole.
From one childcare setting established in 2004 to leading a growing movement that is influencing educators across the continent, Caroline Popoola’s story is ultimately one of resilience, vision and purpose.
More importantly, it is a reminder that investing in the earliest years is not simply an investment in children—it is an investment in the future of every nation.
