Education
IFC Sponsors Ghanaian Student Architects to GBCSA Conference
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, in collaboration with Orthner Orthner & Associates, is sponsoring three architectural students from Ghana to attend the annual conference of the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) in Cape Town. The project has been funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) with technical support provided by SGS and thinkstep.
The students are the winners of a sustainable design competition using IFC’s EDGE green building software.
Participants in the competition, launched on July 18 this year, were selected from the Architecture Department of the Central University in Accra.
The competition challenged students to design a cutting-edge, single-family home intended for a young family located around the outskirts of Accra using only locally available materials. A panel of experts decided on the top three designs.
The students who emerged as winners of IFC’s Student Architectural Design Competition were awarded an all-expense paid trip to Cape Town to attend GBCSA’s 12th Green Building Convention, to be held October 2-4. They will also receive professional training on the EDGE software and engage with accredited EDGE Experts, with the intention of bringing home best practices upon their return.
David Ekow Ampiaw, aged 20, emerged the topmost winner with Olufemi Abodunrin and Cheryl Omani-Baah placing second and third respectively.
The winners were full of praise to organizers for the competition and emphasized they were eagerly awaiting the trip and their chance to contribute to the greater knowledge of EDGE and green building design in Ghana.
Ninnette Quao Fio, a lecturer at the Architecture Department of the Central University, explained to News Ghana in an exclusive interview why the competition has come at an opportune time.
She said, “The world is now going green so it is relevant that we inculcate in the education of our students how to design in a sustainable way, making use of affordable, high-quality local materials while taking care of the environment.”
The Central University Architecture Lecturer commended IFC for introducing the competition and expressed optimism it will continue in the coming years. “I hope going forward this will last because it’s an innovative idea that IFC has introduced. It’s relevant to the construction industry and students are also getting the idea of how to design buildings in a sustainable manner.”
By 2050, the built environment is expected to double due to high population growth and urbanization trends. This has serious implications for global warming, as buildings already generate 19 percent of energy-related GHG emissions and consume 40 percent of electricity worldwide.
Switzerland, through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, considers the need for more sustainable buildings so important that it provided seed capital for IFC’s EDGE.
EDGE is a green building certification system available in more than 150 countries with an online, free-to-use application that is tailored to emerging economies. The EDGE platform, available at www.edgebuildings.com, allows those involved with designing and developing projects to proceed to being certified when the requirements of 20 percent savings across energy, water and embodied energy in materials are met.
SECO’s support for EDGE has resulted in an upward trajectory of certified buildings in Ghana and the region, where the construction sector is booming. “Green building standards, such as the EDGE standard, can play an important role in greening the economy and in ensuring greater resource efficiency and environmental sustainability of new buildings,” said Matthias Feldmann, Deputy Head of Mission /Head of Cooperation for SECO.
He further emphasized, “With EDGE we found a way to push design practices to higher levels and foster innovation in the financial sector to accelerate green buildings.”
In Ghana, mortgage rates are more than 30 percent and annual inflation is 9 percent, so a certified green home makes a measurable difference in the lives of homebuyers struggling to make ends meet. Lower utility bills translate to a better quality of life, as families can reinvest savings into other areas such as education. It is envisaged that IFC and SECO will have a generational impact by encouraging greener building practices with EDGE.
By Adedapo Adesanya
No fewer than 34 tertiary institutions are under investigation by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) over allegations that they withheld refunds from students after receiving duplicate tuition payments under the federal government’s student loan programme.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, the Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, explained that the agency acted after receiving numerous complaints and petitions from affected students.
According to him, the investigations are being carried out in collaboration with anti-corruption agencies, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), internal auditors and other stakeholders to determine the extent of the alleged infractions and ensure students receive the refunds due to them.
“I can tell you that there are about 34 institutions that we are looking at at the moment because of the number of petitions we’ve received,” Mr Sawyerr said.
He explained that the issue arose because President Bola Tinubu directed the immediate rollout of the student loan scheme in the middle of an academic session rather than waiting for a new academic year.
As a result, many students had already paid their tuition before NELFUND later settled the same fees directly with their institutions, leading to double payments.
“What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment—some from the students and some from us. The institutions that received the duplicate payments are responsible for refunding the students,” he said.
Mr Sawyerr noted that many beneficiaries urgently need the refunds because they borrowed money from parents, relatives or other sources to pay their fees before accessing the loan scheme.
While commending some institutions for promptly refunding affected students, he said others had delayed the process, although NELFUND was still investigating whether the delays were deliberate or caused by administrative shortcomings.
Mr Sawyerr said the agency is developing a token-based payment system that will allow students to authorise tuition payments directly at their institutions using their mobile phones as a way of blocking any reoccurrence.
He also explained that NELFUND deliberately pays tuition fees directly to schools instead of students to prevent the diversion of education funds for other purposes.
The NELFUND boss also admitted that the agency lacks the legal authority to compel institutions to make refunds or prosecute offenders, noting that many frustrated students have also submitted petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
He added that NELFUND recently deployed a multi-agency team, including officials from the EFCC, ICPC, NANS and the agency’s internal auditors, to investigate one of the institutions accused of withholding refunds.
Mr Sawyerr also revealed that NELFUND has refused to approve excessive tuition increases by some institutions, insisting that the agency would not fund unjustified fee hikes while continuing efforts to improve transparency in the student loan programme.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Teachers in Oyo State have been directed to resume work from Thursday, July 2, 2026, by the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
Public school teachers earlier withdrew their services in the state following the abduction of their colleagues and pupils in the Oriire local government area of Oyo State by some terrorists almost two months ago.
In a statement on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, signed by the union’s scribe in Oyo State, Mr Olukayode Salami, it was disclosed that the industrial action by the teachers was suspended after “renewed engagements with the state government and assurances over measures to improve security after the abduction of teachers and learners in Oriire Local Government Area.”
In the statement also signed by its Oyo State Chairman, Mr Hassan Ajibola Fatai, the group announced that the suspension followed a directive from its national leadership after reviewing the prevailing security situation and considering appeals by the Oyo State Government and other key stakeholders.
It directed all public primary and secondary school teachers across the state to resume official duties from Thursday, July 2, 2026, bringing an end to the industrial action that was declared in response to the kidnapping of teachers and students in Oriire Local Government Area.
According to the statement, the decision was taken in the collective interest of teachers, learners and the general public after the government assured the union that sustained efforts were underway to secure the safe release of the abducted victims and strengthen security around schools and surrounding communities.
The association further disclosed that the government had made several commitments aimed at preventing future attacks, including intensified rescue efforts for the abducted teachers and learners, the establishment of a well-equipped Joint Security Task Force to patrol vulnerable schools and access routes, continuous engagement with affected families, psychosocial support and rehabilitation for rescued victims, and payment of gratuities and other entitlements to the families of deceased teachers.
Other commitments include strengthening the Safe School Initiative through public sensitisation and early warning systems, improving emergency response mechanisms, addressing criminal hideouts, upgrading school infrastructure, tackling illegal mining and open grazing in forest reserves, enhancing community intelligence gathering, ensuring speedy prosecution of criminal suspects, improving the welfare of security personnel, and deploying technology to bolster school security.
Oyo NUT commended its members, as well as the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) and the Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria (AOPSHON), for their discipline, solidarity and compliance throughout the period of the industrial action, describing their support as instrumental in advancing the welfare and security of teachers and learners.
While directing members to return to the classrooms, the union urged teachers to remain vigilant, obey the law and promptly report any security threats within their schools and communities to the appropriate authorities.
The NUT reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the welfare and security of teachers, stressing that it would continue engaging the government until all outstanding concerns regarding the safety of teachers and students are fully addressed.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian food and beverage company, Rite Foods Limited, has partnered with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to reward seven exceptional Nigerian undergraduates with a total of N35 million in recognition of their outstanding academic performance during the 2025 admission exercise.
The seven beneficiaries, who emerged through a transparent and merit-based selection process coordinated by JAMB, will each receive N5 million at the maiden edition of the Academic Excellence Recognition Award Ceremony, scheduled to hold on Tuesday, June 30, in Lagos.
Announcing the initiative, JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Mr Fabian Benjamin, said the award celebrates students who distinguished themselves through exceptional performance in both the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and their respective Post-UTME or institutional screening exercises.
“The seven beneficiaries will each receive N5 million in recognition of their exceptional academic performance. This partnership with Rite Foods reflects our shared commitment to rewarding merit, promoting academic excellence, and inspiring young Nigerians to pursue excellence in their educational journey,” Mr Benjamin said.
Speaking on the partnership, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Rite Foods Limited, Mr Ekuma Eze, said the company remains committed to investing in initiatives that recognise excellence and empower the next generation of leaders.
“At Rite Foods, we believe excellence should be celebrated and encouraged. Through this partnership with JAMB, we are proud to reward these exceptional students and reinforce the message that hard work, discipline, and excellence will always be recognised. Beyond producing quality brands, we are committed to creating opportunities that inspire young Nigerians to achieve their full potential,” he said.
The award recipients represent Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, while the seventh award will be presented to the highest-performing admitted candidate living with a disability, reflecting the initiative’s commitment to merit, inclusion, and national development.
The ceremony is expected to bring together the Minister of Education, the outgoing JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, vice-chancellors, heads of regulatory agencies, education stakeholders, corporate leaders, students, and members of the media.
