Digital Divide and Lifelong Learning Participation Among Rural Adults in North Central Nigeria

This study empirically examines the digital divide and its effect on lifelong learning participation among rural adults in North Central Nigeria, contributing evidence on how technology access inequality shapes educational opportunity. Digital technologies are increasingly integrated into formal and non-formal education delivery, creating a risk that the digital divide will deepen existing inequalities in lifelong learning participation. North Central Nigeria presents a relevant empirical context due to significant intraregional variation in digital infrastructure and adult education provision. This study uses a mixed-method design, combining a survey of 450 rural adults in Kwara, Benue, and Plateau States with a spatial analysis of digital infrastructure and adult education access. Digital divide is measured using device ownership, internet access, data literacy, and connectivity quality dimensions. Lifelong learning participation is assessed through formal, non-formal, and informal learning activity frequency. Multilevel regression analysis accounts for individual and community-level variation. Findings reveal that digital access significantly and independently predicts lifelong learning participation after controlling for income, age, and educational attainment. The digital divide operates most severely for women aged 40 and above in communities with poor mobile network coverage. Digital access positively moderates the relationship between geographic distance and learning participation, enabling remote learners to access content not locally available. The study concludes that closing the digital divide is a prerequisite for equitable lifelong learning in North Central Nigeria. It recommends targeted digital infrastructure investment in rural communities combined with gender-responsive digital literacy programmes.

Keywords: digital divide, lifelong learning, rural adults, North Central Nigeria, technology access.