Education

Afreximbank Offers $20,000 CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa

Published

1 year ago

21/05/2024

By Adedapo Adesanya

Afreximbank has announced the launch of the $20,000 CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa to promote a vibrant literary culture across Africa and encourage the development of a sustainable business ecosystem in the literary sector.

The prize, which is open for submission, is a partnership between the CANEX Book Factory and Narrative Landscape Press Limited.

The CANEX Book Factory, a key intervention under the CANEX programme, was launched in 2020 by Afreximbank as a key driver for development and job creation in Africa, having recognized the relevance and opportunities provided by the creative and cultural industries.

The CANEX Book Factory will spotlight and elevate the African book value chain through a Pan-African writing workshop, an e-newsletter highlighting African literature and a prize for publishing in Africa.

This will culminate in the Award Ceremony at the CANEX WKND to be held in Algiers, Algeria between October 16 and 19, 2024.

A $20,000 prize will be awarded to the publisher of the best trade book. Trade books refer to books published for a general audience, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry and exclude textbooks and academic books. Additionally, four finalists will each receive $2,000 in prize money.

Commenting on this announcement, Mrs Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President-Intra African Trade and Export Development Bank at Afreximbank said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, a pioneering initiative by Afreximbank aimed at promoting and celebrating excellence in African publishing.

“This prize underscores our commitment to nurturing Africa’s creative industries and supporting the vibrant literary landscape across the continent. Through the CANEX Prize, we aim to recognize and empower African authors and publishers who play a vital role in shaping our cultural identity and enriching our communities through literature in what is a multi-billion-dollar industry.”

The initiative has also onboarded award-winning Nigerian novelist, Ms Chimamanda Adichie, known for some of her critically acclaimed work including Purple Hibiscus, Half of A Yellow Sun, and Americanah.

She said: “Imagine being an African, dreaming about being a writer, surrounded by people in a room who share the same interests, it propels you, it gives you hope. I’ve always believed that there is nothing more essential to the human spirit than hope. For me, CANEX is about hope – the hope of many more African stories.”

According to a statement, submissions will be judged on the quality of writing, editing and production. Priority will be given to books printed and produced on the African continent as well as to books published in indigenous African languages. A key concession for the inaugural year (2024) is that books published in the preceding two years will be considered.

“By supporting the enabling environment for various creative sectors like fashion, music, film, art, literature, gastronomy, and sport; CANEX seeks to support the advancement and expansion of the creative and cultural economy, both within Africa and the diaspora, utilizing various financial and non-financial tools and initiatives,” the statement added.

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Adedapo Adesanya

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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Education

Why AI Education Should be Integrated into Nigeria’s School Curriculum

Published

4 days ago

10/07/2025

Business Post Contributor

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a driving force of the fourth educational revolution and a major carrier of the technological progress that is changing societies and economies globally.

Integrating AI into Nigeria`s school curriculum presents a transformative opportunity to improve learning outcomes, enhance teacher’s effectiveness, and enhance quality education.

The integration of AI into Nigeria’s school curriculum can enable the creation of advanced e-learning platforms that simulate classroom experience, automate repetitive tasks, and analyze data to optimize educational content.

AI`s growing influence on all aspects of daily life and society is reshaping the world, making AI literacy an essential skill for everyone. As a result, AI concepts should increasingly be integrated into both formal school curricula and out of school learning systems. AI literacy is now widely regarded as a critical competency that young learners must develop to thrive as future creators and innovators. AI should be an apparatus for learning so as to eliminate irrelevant courses in the curriculum and must be introduced from an early age.

There are other obstacles, such as the fact that many schools still lack computers, internet connection, and qualified staff. AI, on the other hand, has the potential to be a game changing equalizer by providing standardized, superior resources such as internet infrastructure regardless of location.

Benefit of Introducing AI Into Nigeria’s School Curriculum

The power of AI is undeniable, and understanding the pros and cons of Artificial intelligence in education is essential for making informed decisions. Some of the advantages of AI include the following;

It provides student with immediate feedback

AI offers students instantaneous and detailed feedback on their work, helping them to see their strengths and weaknesses. Such feedback enhances understanding and learning outcomes and helps teachers to know what to focus on in future lessons.

It can result in more inclusive class sessions
AI has powerful tools that make previously inaccessible material available to students with special needs. Tools that offer text-to- speech, visual recognition, and more can help teachers adapt resources so that all students have an equal learning opportunity.

It fosters critical thinking

The advent and use of AI in classrooms lends itself to discussions regarding critical thinking and ethical considerations. Introducing AI can help them grow and develop as thinkers, learners and problem solvers.

It helps in advanced learning

The introduction of AI into school curriculum can help generate custom learning materials, such as quizzes, flashcards, and even entire lessons tailored to a student`s strengths and weaknesses.

Enhance efficiency

Artificial intelligence provides numerous benefits such as time saving capabilities, reducing errors, increasing efficiency, accuracy, effectiveness and unbiased decision making in teaching and learning process.

Improved motivation and engagement

Integrating AI into school curriculum can create more interactive and engaging learning experiences that can help students focus on their learning.

Conclusion

Integrating AI into Nigeria`s school curriculum is not just an option, but a necessity for preparing the students, fostering innovations, and driving national development preparing them for a real-world experience. Educators must be trained to use AI effectively without sacrificing the essential role of human interactions and mentorship in learning.

Emmanuel Otori is the Chief Executive Officer at Mangrove Technologies Ltd. He has had experience working on a variety of projects with the World Bank, GiZ, Mastercard Foundation, Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) etc. He has impacted over 1000 businesses in creating a sustainable business model.

Education

EduFuture Conference 2025 to Revolutionize Education Via Tech

Published

5 days ago

09/07/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

All is set for the EduFuture Conference 2025 themed Innovating for Equity: Rethinking Education for a Changing World, taking place on Thursday, July 10 in Lagos.

The summit is a premier gathering of Africa’s brightest minds in education, technology, and policy-making. It is designed to revolutionize education through innovation and technology.

For this year’s event, in its second edition, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kwara State on Education, Policy Formulation and Human Capital Development, Adétọlá Ariyíkẹ́ Salau, will deliver the keynote address, outlining actionable strategies for transforming Africa’s education landscape.

The sessions will be moderated by a renowned project manager, analyst, and educator, Ngunan Gertrude Fwaodo, and will be joined by speakers and thought leaders like the Chief Responsibility Officer of The Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation, Tobiloba Ajayi; the Programs Director for Teach for Nigeria, Bosede Ogidan; the founder of Edward Consulting, Bimpe Femi-Oyewo; a child rights advocate, Isaac Success Omoyele; the Executive Director of Gamaliel and Susan Onosode Foundation, Toyin Olanrewaju; the founder of Brace-up The Young, Obasanjo Fajemirokun; the Head of Operations and Programs at Civic Hive, Temidayo Musa; and the Coordinator for African Leadership Academy, Temitope Ifegbesan.

A statement from the organisers said attendees would get an exclusive first look at StratED Futures, a new social enterprise dedicated to driving systemic change in education through policy innovation and impact-led consulting.

Convened by the founder of Dolly Children Foundation, Adedolapo Osuntuyi, it was stated that the conference would be a pivotal moment for education reform in Africa.

With a focus on policy innovation, digital learning, and community-driven solutions, the conference will foster dynamic discussions on key themes including education policy and governance, EdTech and digital learning, social impact and education entrepreneurship, future of work and 21st-century skills, and grassroots innovation and community engagement.

Education

JAMB Fixes University Admission Cut-Off Mark for 2025 at 150

Published

6 days ago

08/07/2025

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The cut-off mark for admission into universities in Nigeria for the 2025/2026 academic session has been set at 150 by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Also, the agency fixed 140 as the minimum score for colleges of nursing sciences, while the score for polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture is 100.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, JAMB said, “The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions).”

It was gathered that this decision was reached today at the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions and the 5th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions and Performance-Merit Award (NATAP-M) at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.

The event had in attendance several stakeholders in the educational sector in the country, including officials of tertiary institutions.

The entry exams conducted by JAMB this year was without controversies. The agency was called out because of poor outcome as the majority of candidates could not score above 200.

At the meeting today, the Registrar of JAMB, Mr Ishaq Oloyede, announced a candidate from Anambra State, Christian Chinedu Okeke, as the best candidate of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) with 375, followed by Ayuba Simon-Peter John from Gombe State with 374 and Jimoh Abdulmalik Olayinka from Kwara State with 373.

The top 10 candidate for this year are;