Education
Africa’s $50bn Private Higher Education Sector Set for Accelerated Growth
By Dorian Maillard
The world is hurtling headlong into a digital future, and one crucial resource is in short supply: tech talent. Projections paint a stark picture. By 2030, the global tech talent shortage could soar to 85 million, translating to $8.5 trillion in potential lost annual revenue, and there’s no viable solution at scale to fill this looming deficit.
Yet, amidst this intensifying scramble for tech talent, a paradox unfolds. Africa, a continent brimming with potential, stands as a vast, untapped, and overlooked goldmine of tech talent that will be home to over 200 million digital natives by 2030. While the reasons for Africa’s underrepresentation in global tech are complex and multifaceted, innovative solutions are emerging, countless initiatives are underway, and the potential for further progress is enormous.
Navigating critical challenges in Africa’s higher education
Quality of education
African universities face challenges in delivering high-quality education, impeding the development of tech talent. Outdated curricula often fall short of meeting the dynamic demands of the tech industry, leaving graduates with skills misaligned with practical job requirements and the latest technologies. In addition, inadequate infrastructure and resources hinder hands-on training, limiting students’ ability to acquire necessary expertise.
Access to education
Ensuring broader access to higher education is imperative. Doing so involves tackling challenges related to affordability, enhancing infrastructure, and facilitating access to online education, which has gained heightened significance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite notable strides in extending education across all age groups and internet access and smartphone penetration exceeding 80% in most developed African countries, many individuals struggle to access education. Over 20% of primary-age children and nearly 60% of youth aged 15 to 17 remain excluded from education, whether in the digital realm or the physical world.
Affordability is a primary barrier. Soaring tuition costs, coupled with constrained financial resources, often prevent talented individuals from pursuing advanced studies. This burden disproportionately affects students from low-income households, who struggle to afford basic tuition fees, let alone additional expenses like accommodation, textbooks, and transportation. The scarcity of financial aid and scholarships exacerbates the problem, leaving many deserving individuals without the means to pursue their educational goals.
Inadequate infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, poses another significant obstacle to educational access. Shortages of classrooms and libraries hinder the learning process, limiting opportunities for higher education. Furthermore, insufficient technology resources, such as computers, internet connectivity, and educational software, contribute to a widening digital divide that intensifies educational disparities and prevents individuals from meeting the demands of the 21st-century tech workforce.
Economic, political stability, and industry engagement
A robust and stable economic and political environment is the cornerstone for fostering a thriving tech talent ecosystem. It provides a fertile ground for businesses to invest in R&D, creating opportunities for tech professionals to learn, innovate, and refine their skills. This fuels technological advancements, propelling the sector forward and attracting further investment.
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) like the World Bank, IFC, BII, Unicaf, DEG, SwedFund, Norfund, IDC, and OPIC, in collaboration with governments, universities, and businesses, have a vital role to play in fostering a more prosperous business environment, which directly and indirectly benefits the education sector. These organisations can identify skills gaps, develop training programs, and catalyse new partnerships to generate employment opportunities for graduates.
Governments and DFIs have already made notable achievements by implementing sound policies. Seychelles now ranks among the top 50 education systems globally, surpassing countries like Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. The country has achieved an impressive 99% literacy rate among its 15-24-year-old population by implementing free, mandatory education and partnering with DFIs to help fund infrastructure expansions, enhance teacher training, and develop innovative programs.
Tunisia is another success story. Despite grappling with political and economic instability, the country has positioned itself as an educational leader in Africa, boasting the second-best education system on the continent. This achievement can be attributed to the Tunisian government’s allocation of 12-20% of GDP to education.
These examples, drawn from two small countries with a combined population exceeding 12 million, provide compelling evidence of the transformative potential inherent in effective policymaking and collaboration. Implementing similar policies in larger countries like Nigeria, Egypt, or South Africa would amplify the impact, potentially addressing a significant portion of the global shortage of skilled tech workers.
The time to make a strategic bet on African edtech
Africa is home to the world’s largest untapped pool of potential talents capable of addressing the growing global shortage of tech workers. Given the rapidly evolving nature of technology and the continent’s complex operating landscape, realising this potential will require a concerted effort from governments, DFIs, and the private sector.
Despite its considerable size, the market for specialised tech higher education is primarily controlled by entities in developed countries, creating an artificial barrier for tech talent in developing nations. However, forward-thinking companies are beginning to break through these barriers, garnering support from reputable private equity investors.
As global markets rebound, we expect Africa’s $50bn private higher education sector to accelerate. Industry leaders are poised to emerge, capitalising on the continent’s affordable supply of teachers and real estate and advancing AI-driven tools to speed up content generation and performance assessments. These factors will create a virtuous cycle of growth whereby lower costs fuel innovation, which attracts more students and investors, leading to further expansion and cost reduction. This will give rise to “high-risk, high-reward” opportunities that offer above-market returns in an environment constrained by demographic challenges in developed countries.
Dorian Maillard is the Vice President of DAI Magister
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has suspended the proposed review of registration fees for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The Federal Ministry of Education made the announcement on Monday in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Boriowo Folasade.
The ministry announced that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated June 18, 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken.
The Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, directed that the proposal be placed on hold, with the Ministry acknowledging the concerns and constructive feedback received from the public since the planned increase became known.
The Ministry said the proposed fee review was driven by rising operational costs that have accumulated over several years without a corresponding adjustment to examination registration fees.
It said the current fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite significant increases in costs covering logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, quality assurance and other services required to maintain the integrity of public examinations.
“The proposed review was informed by the prevailing economic realities and the rising cost of conducting credible national examinations,” the statement said.
“The current examination registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite significant increases in operational costs,” the Ministry added.
The ministry said the proposed fee hike will no longer take effect as earlier planned, while acknowledging that the concerns raised by Nigerians warranted a pause in the process.
“The proposed review of examination registration fees will not take effect, as earlier communicated, pending the conclusion of the consultation process,” the statement confirmed, adding that the June 18 letter conveying the proposed adjustment has been formally withdrawn.
“This decision underscores the Ministry’s determination to ensure that policies affecting millions of Nigerian students and their families are carefully considered, socially responsive and reflect the collective interest of the nation,” it said.
The Ministry outlined a fresh stakeholder engagement process that must be concluded before any decision on examination fees is made, signalling that the review has been delayed rather than permanently shelved.
The Ministry said it will engage extensively with examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organised labour and other education stakeholders as part of the renewed consultation process.
It said the goal of the consultation is to ensure that any future decision is “fair, sustainable, transparent and responsive to prevailing realities while safeguarding access to education,” framing the suspension as a course correction rather than an outright reversal of policy intent.
“The Ministry acknowledges the concerns and constructive feedback received from the public and appreciates the keen interest shown by Nigerians in matters relating to access to quality education,” the statement read.
The Ministry assured Nigerians it would keep the public fully informed throughout the consultation process, saying the welfare of students and equitable access to quality education “remain at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the education sector.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The examination fees of Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) have been increased by the federal government by about 82 per cent to N50,000 from N27,500.
A circular signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Adeniji Ibrahim, disclosed that the new fees would become effective in 2027.
In the notice, it was disclosed that the government approved the upward review of the fees following a request by WAEC.
It was further disclosed that the decision to jack up the fees was reached after a March 31, 2026, meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies, where the need to review examination fees was discussed.
“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the Minister of Education on March 31, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fees was discussed, the Minister directed that WAEC and NECO should adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of WAEC and NECO SSCE,” the statement read.
“Consequently, I am directed to convey the Minister of Education’s approval of the sum of N50,000 only, as the new examination fee per candidate, with effect from NECO SSCE (Internal), 2027,” it added.
**Modibbo Adama University Emerges Grand Prize Winner, Secures N50m
A leading integrated independent exploration and production company with full-cycle upstream delivery capability, FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P), has reaffirmed its commitment to developing Nigeria’s next generation of engineers.
This commitment was highlighted during the grand finale of the maiden edition of the Nigerian Engineering Olympiad (NEO), held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event recognised outstanding student innovators whose engineering solutions addressed real-world challenges, marking the culmination of months of regional qualifiers, prototype development, mentorship and boot camp sessions that equipped students from universities and polytechnics across Nigeria with practical skills in engineering, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Olympiad attracted 984 participants across 375 teams from more than 80 tertiary institutions representing all six geopolitical zones of the country.
Delivering the sponsor’s address, the General Manager, Engineering and Capital Projects, FIRST E&P, John Alamu, emphasised that the competition reflects the company’s commitment to equipping students with the practical knowledge and innovative mindset required to excel in engineering and strengthen Nigeria’s future workforce.
Alamu, noting that initiatives such as the Engineering Olympiad provide a structured platform for young talent to transform innovative ideas into practical solutions that contribute to the country’s technological and industrial advancement, stated that, “FIRST E&P believes that developing STEM capacity is an investment in this country’s ability to solve its own problems. The Nigerian Engineering Olympiad has taken young engineers and taught them to think beyond the drawing board, and FIRST E&P is proud to have been a funding partner for this initiative. I commend NCDMB for championing the Olympiad and Enactus Nigeria for successfully delivering a platform that is helping shape the next generation of Nigerian engineers and innovators.”
In his address, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Silas Ajimijaye, expressed appreciation to FIRST E&P for their unwavering support in successfully delivering the Olympiad.
Ajimijaye added that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy, which aims to build indigenous engineering capacity and equip young Nigerians with the knowledge and skills needed to drive industrial competitiveness, technological advancement, and sustainable national development.
The competition concluded in the awarding of prizes, with Team Mavericks of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Adamawa State, winning the grand prize of N50 million and a Centre of Excellence building for its Faculty of Engineering.
The team’s winning innovation, Ubuntu Sapphire, is a community-powered rapid alert system that uses affordable devices to instantly notify neighbouring households and emergency responders during emergencies, offering a practical solution aimed at strengthening community security and emergency response infrastructure.
Speaking after receiving the award, Team Lead, Dr David Patrick, expressed gratitude to the organisers and sponsors for providing a platform that fostered innovation and practical learning.
The University of Ibadan emerged as the first runner-up, receiving N30 million and N75 million worth of engineering equipment for its Faculty of Engineering. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, secured third place and was awarded N20 million and N50 million worth of engineering equipment. The University of Jos finished fourth, receiving N10 million.
