Education
Edves Raises $575k to Onboard More Schools Online
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian education tech startup, Edves, has raised $575,000 to improve products and bring more schools online by digitizing learning and administration to ensure multi-curricular lesson delivery online and offline.
The funding round, which was oversubscribed, was led by Beta Ventures along with Launch Africa, Chinook Capital (follow on) and Future Africa.
According to Semrush, SimilarWeb and Google Analytics, Edves was the most used indigenous Edtech platform for K-12 schools learning continuity and end-of-term examination in Nigeria between March and September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and school lockdown.
As a digital infrastructure, the startup enables collaboration between teachers, parents and administrators to deliver education, and collaborate on learners’ progress on learning goals, tracking and analyzing learning outcomes. Since its inception, over 790 schools have used the software to automate operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
The CEO/co-founder, Mr ‘Dimeji Falana, and COO/co-founder, Mr Dare Adebayo, said that the fund would fuel product improvement, the release of new offerings to address fresh consumer needs in the Nigerian market and major segments in other African markets.
On the part of Beta. Ventures (BV) General Partner, Ovo Emorhokpor commented on their decision to invest in Edves, “Beta. Ventures has a clear mandate to support exceptional African startups and entrepreneurs bringing actual value to Nigeria and other African communities. We have witnessed Edves firsthand and seen how they deliver on their promise to digitise the learning process in and out of the classroom in Africa.
“We are thrilled to be part of their journey as they scale their offerings and expand into new markets. Beta Ventures is an early-stage investor, focused on partnering with high-potential technology entrepreneurs that are building significant companies for the African market.”
According to Mr Zachariah George, Managing Partner at Launch Africa Ventures commenting on their investment rationale saying, “With nearly 60 per cent of Africa’s population of 1.4 billion being under the age of 25, digital teaching and learning is a must-have and not a nice-to-have.
“Schools all over the continent need easy-to-use, secure learner management software that encompasses all school needs by addressing specific challenges with capturing data, paperwork, and improving every area of school operations.
“With its proprietary technology, presence in 3 countries and nearly 800 institutions already onboard in Nigeria alone, we feel very confident in the EdVes team’s ability to tackle this huge opportunity head-on.”
Mr Suru Avoseh, General Partner Chinook Capital shared the rationale for the decision to back Edves for the second time. “At the height of the unexpected COVID-related lockdown, the demand for Edtech products scaled globally (further market validation), however many schools were caught unaware and paid an expensive price to work around the situation. What Edves has done is to introduce innovative technology that makes this transition to digital education seamless at a cost-effective rate.
“That’s why we invested in Edves and the team. The adoption and demand for their products have been impressive with a reach of over 780 schools in Nigeria with 350,000+ connected players (educators, parents and students).
“To realize its ambitions to play at a bigger scale, a regional expansion is necessary and our aim is to continue to support Edves’ efforts to achieve the long-term goal: To become the operating system for k-12 schools in emerging markets”.
On his part, Mr Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Managing Partner, Future Africa noted -“Dimeji and Dare are tenacious technology entrepreneurs in the education space. We’re particularly excited about their execution and growth over the years, especially supporting parents and schools during COVID. A lot of opportunities exist with education in Africa.
“The particular problem that Edves solves is critical to education management. It frees up teachers’ time to focus on more important tasks and helps parents stay abreast of their child’s educational progress. We’re excited to partner with them to build the future of learning in Africa.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 200 senior students of Cleggs Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos, were on July 23, 2026, engaged in practical knowledge about the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and shisha.
This engagement was made possible through a collaboration between Breathe Life Foundation and Teach Nigeria Fellow.
Participants were students aged 15–19 years. They were also informed about the misconception that shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes or other substances.
Through an engaging and interactive discussion, students explored the influence of peer pressure and learned practical strategies for making healthier, more informed lifestyle choices.
They also gained a better understanding of common environmental triggers of asthma and other respiratory conditions, including cigarette smoke, generator fumes, bush burning, mosquito coil smoke, candles, charcoal, and firewood.
The session highlighted an important reality: young people may not always recognise how seemingly routine lifestyle choices and environmental exposures can gradually affect their respiratory health, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.
For Breathe Life Foundation, this reinforces the importance of shifting the conversation from treatment to prevention through awareness and education.
By equipping young people with the knowledge to identify risks and make healthier choices early, the foundation is helping to build a generation that is more conscious of – and better prepared to protect – its respiratory health.
The organisation said it is dedicated to advancing respiratory health, an often-neglected public health priority. Healthy lungs are essential to life, yet respiratory diseases remain among the world’s leading causes of death and disability, even though many are preventable and treatable.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes, the Obajana Plant of Dangote Cement Plc has distributed some educational materials to some pupils in Kogi State.
The items shared to the beneficiaries included school bags, exercise books, writing materials, water bottles, and other essential learning aids aimed at enhancing the learning experience of the pupils and preparing them for the next academic session.
The General Manager for the Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement at Obajana Plant, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, said the materials were donated days after Dangote Cement distributed similar education materials to pupils in public schools in its catchment communities of Oyo, Iwaa, Obajana and Apata; and commissioned a multi-million-naira hospital in Obajana, which added to the growing list of social investments that includes an earlier hospital project in Iwaa and Oyo Communities.
He noted that, over the years, the company has invested billions of naira in a wide range of social programmes for host communities, including empowerment programmes, road construction, and potable water projects, and it remains resolute in its commitment to sustaining and expanding its interventions.
He noted that the company’s corporate social responsibility programmes are aligned with government development priorities and are implemented through sustained, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The intervention was informed by findings from a needs assessment conducted by Dangote Cement. During the assessment, it was observed that several pupils attended school without school bags, while others carried their books by hand. It was also discovered that many students lacked essential learning materials such as exercise books, pens, pencils, and other basic learning materials,” the cement firm said.
The Head Teacher of UBE LGEA School, St. Luke Model II, Adankolo, Lokoja Local Government Area, Mr Abubakar Sanni, expressed profound appreciation to the management of Dangote Cement for the gesture.
The Head Teacher expressed gratitude to the Group President of the conglomerate, Aliko Dangote, for extending the company’s educational support programme beyond its host and impacted communities to schools located at the state headquarters.
The beneficiaries, school management, parents, and community stakeholders expressed gratitude to Dangote Cement for the timely intervention and prayed for the continued growth and success of the company in its efforts to improve lives and support sustainable community development.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Prize for Literature has unveiled an 11-title longlist for its 2026 edition, selecting the outstanding poetry collections from a record 223 submissions received for the competition.
This was contained in a press statement signed by General Manager, External Relations & Sustainable Development, Mrs Sophia Horsfall.
The announcement, by the chairman of the Advisory Board for the Prize, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, marks a significant milestone in this year’s competition and reflects the exceptional quality, creativity and diversity of contemporary poetry.
The longlisted titles, arranged alphabetically, are:
1. Adult Love by Tanure Ojaide
2. Bakandimiya by Saddiq Dzukogi
3. Black Passport by Paul Akpomuje
4. 2000 Blacks by Ajibola Tolase
5. Ceremony for The Nameless by Theresa Lola
6. Corpus: Animistic Verses by Ayo Oyeku
1. Floral’s Love Colony by Tares Oburumu
2. The Origin of Wounds by Malik Gbolahan
3. The Years of Blood by Adebayo Agarau
4. Unbind Me Now by James Ugwu Eze
5. Why Does God Need a Gun by Ogaga Ifowodo
Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo described the announcement as an important stage in the 2026 edition of arguably Africa’s biggest and most prestigious literary Prize.
She noted that the collections demonstrate the remarkable capacity of poetry to illuminate human experience through thoughtful reflection, cultural memory and artistic expression.
The academic added that the works revisit history while interrogating dominant historical narratives and exposing the forces that shape collective identities and social relations.
She stated that despite their varied emphases, the books share a commitment to exploring the endurance of individuals and communities in the face of violence, oppression, and social fragmentation.
Commenting on style and language, she said the books display an impressive diversity of poetic techniques marked by lyrical intensity, symbolic depth, and artistic innovation.
“Many employ densely poetic, allegorical, and elegiac modes that invite multiple layers of interpretation, while others draw extensively on folklore, oral traditions, and contemporary realities to create a compelling fusion of past and present. Their language is generally fluid, evocative, and aesthetically refined, relying on vivid imagery, emotional resonance, and intellectual sophistication to communicate complex ideas. These works demonstrate how poetic language can illuminate social realities, challenge established perspectives, and give voice to both individual and collective experiences.
“The next stage will demand a closer reading of each work, with attention to language, form, originality and lasting literary value,” she stated.
She also commended the judges for their work and reaffirmed the Advisory Board’s commitment to a credible process, literary excellence and the promotion of a strong reading culture.
The announcement of the 11-title longlist formally opens the next phase of the shortlist of three in August and the possible announcement of the winner in October.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by NLNG, carries a cash award of $100,000 for the author of the winning book. In its 22nd year, the prize rotates annually across four genres – prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature – with the 2026 edition devoted to poetry.
