T.M. Kayode

I’ve been doing a lot of listening lately—founders, builders, and entrepreneurs in Nigeria and across Africa. I think it’s essential because these are the people wading into the deep, sometimes uncharted waters of business in Africa. Let’s be real: business is tough enough, but business in Africa? That’s a whole different level of uncertainty, resilience, and vision.

During one of those late-night YouTube binges, I stumbled across a fascinating video by Peace Itimi on Founders Connect (watch it here). It was here I learned about the inspiring life and journey of Sim Shagaya.

If you’re familiar with Nigerian tech, you’ll know Sim is a giant in the space. His entrepreneurial journey spans years and has touched multiple industries, especially during the early days of Nigeria’s tech revolution. While we could spend pages diving into all his ventures, today, I want to focus on one area where Sim has truly made waves—education technology.

After the successes, challenges and eventual failure of Konga.com, Sim took a step back, becoming a faculty member at the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town. Later, a trip back to Jos in Nigeria for his father’s burial inspired him to stay and build something new. That “something” turned into uLesson, which has now evolved into a group comprising uLesson Education and Miva Open University.

Let’s explore these two ed-tech ventures and what they’re bringing to the Nigerian educational landscape.

uLesson Education

Founded in 2019, uLesson is an ed-tech company with a mission to democratize education in Africa. According to Sim, one of the biggest challenges facing African education is the disparity between spending and outcomes. Despite African governments spending a higher percentage of GDP on education than many OECD countries, the outcomes often fall short. Why? One major reason is that population growth continues to outpace the speed at which educational investments can make a meaningful impact.

Take, for instance, the student-to-teacher ratio. In some parts of Africa, it’s as high as 70:1 compared to 15:1 or 16:1 in places like the US or UK. uLesson steps into this gap by providing affordable, accessible learning materials to students who might otherwise be left behind (REF).

uLesson blossomed in 2020, right as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing schools to close. The company already had a product ready to go—an app-based subscription service offering high-quality, locally-produced educational videos and resources. What I love about their approach is how the video content incorporates relatable African elements, tying learning to things students already know and understand.

Recently, uLesson introduced the uLesson Classboard, a physical device for schools and teachers. It’s loaded with lessons, interactivity, internet connectivity, and more, removing the need for traditional tools like paper and markers. They’ve also made it easy to install their software on Android-powered smart screens for schools that already have that tech infrastructure in place.

Miva Open University

Building on the success of uLesson, Sim and his team launched Miva Open University in 2023, receiving accreditation from Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC). This is a fully accredited online university, and during its first matriculation ceremony, 532 students were admitted into programs in the School of Computing and the School of Management and Social Sciences.

What makes Miva especially exciting is its focus on accessibility. The university already admits students from other African countries, showing its commitment to serving the continent as a whole. It allows students to pay tuition in installments, and there’s even a referral program where students can earn rewards.

While there are other online universities in Nigeria—like the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)—and many brick-and-mortar institutions with online programs, Miva feels… different. Maybe it’s the innovation, maybe it’s the energy, or maybe it’s just the extraness (for lack of a better word) that the team at uLesson is bringing to this venture.

Sim and his team have already proven their mettle with uLesson. Now, I can’t wait to see what they’ll accomplish with Miva. The potential for Miva to redefine online higher education in Nigeria—and Africa—is immense, and I’m here for every bit of it!

Would you like more content like this? Let me know in the comments or shoot me a message.

Until next time…
Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!