A non-governmental organization, i-Scholar initiative (iSI) has renewed its commitment to mentoring and supporting young students in fulfilling their dreams of pursuing graduate studies via access to fully-funded scholarships in world-class foreign universities.

At the initiative’s 2025 meet-up held recently in Lagos, it afforded the Board of Trustees, stakeholders, volunteers and partners the opportunity to meet, interact, and admonish its 2024 cohort of scholars. Annually, the initiative gather in Lagos to physically welcome the new cohort of scholars from various universities across Nigeria to the iSi family.

Since 2019, iSI has invested over $250K and mentorship in the career pursuits of over 355 Nigerian scholars. Cumulatively, i-Scholars have also unlocked over $60M (and still counting) in graduate scholarships. In his remarks, iSI president Victor Ogunmola, emphasised that the Nigerian educational system requires a revamp, and the younger generation holds the key to this transformation.

The University of Benin has received its first solar-powered borehole, courtesy of LG Electronics, to transform water supply on campus. According to a statement, the recently commissioned project aimed to provide clean and uninterrupted water to students and staff, reducing dependence on the national grid and cutting utility costs.

Corporate Marketing Manager, LG Electronics Nigeria, Paul Mba, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. “At LG Electronics, we believe in using technology to improve lives. This solar-powered borehole is not just about providing water; it’s about creating a sustainable future where renewable energy plays a key role in meeting basic needs. We are proud to support UNIBEN in this initiative,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, who was represented by the Chairman of the Security Committee, UNIBEN, Prof. Fred Ekhaise, described the project as a “game-changer” for the university community.

The Federal Government (FG), through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has announced the addition of vocational skills such as hairstyling, plumbing, mobile phone repair, makeup artistry, and twelve others covering the home improvement, technology, agriculture, and lifestyle industries to the Basic Education curriculum.

Basic education is pre-primary education, primary education, and lower secondary education, ideally covering the individual from the ages of four to fifteen. For over four decades, Nigerian Basic Education has trained its recipients how to get an office job.

This strategy has led to mass unemployment and underemployment during this time because there are significantly more secondary school and tertiary education graduates than office jobs. Basic education looks down on vocational skills as something you turn to if you don’t pass your exams.

The Child-In-Tech Conference 2025, held on January 24th at the St Giles Center in East Airport, brought together over 500 young attendees to explore the world of technology and its potential. The event, designed to inspire and educate children about technology, featured a diverse lineup of speakers, mentors, and exhibitors, with support from major sponsors like MTN and TapTap Send.

The conference kicked off with a welcome address from the CEO of Child-In-Tech, Akua Otubea Essah, who emphasized the significance of introducing children to technology at an early age. "We believe that by exposing children to technology, we can inspire them to become the next generation of tech leaders and innovators,” she said.

Guest speaker Dr. Rose-Mary Owusuaa Gyening delivered a keynote on the societal impact of technology. While she acknowledged the many benefits, such as improved access to education and healthcare, she also cautioned the children about potential risks, including cyberbullying and online harassment. "As you explore the world of technology, remember to always be responsible and respectful online," Dr. Rose-Mary advised.

An advocacy organisation, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), has urged the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, to prioritise the principles of equity in resource allocation in education. This is in addition to transparency, accountability, spending efficiency and inclusive policy governance.

“As the leader of the government’s education re-set agenda, we expect the new Minister for Education to prioritise the core principles of equity in resource allocation, transparency, accountability, spending efficiency and inclusive policy governance.

“We are pleased to provide the necessary technical support and collaboration for a successful tenure as Minister of Education,” Eduwatch said in a statement. It said Mr Iddrisu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, becomes the 16th Minister of Education in the country’s Fourth Republic.

The Mentoring Assistance for Youths and Entrepreneurs Initiative (MAYEIN) has charged individuals, educators, and organisations with ensuring that technology serves as a tool for inclusion rather than exclusion.

Member of the non-profit organisation made this charge in Ibadan on the occasion of the 2025 International Day of Education with the theme: ‘AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation’.
According to the UN, the 2025 theme encourages reflections on the power of education to equip individuals and communities to navigate, understand, and influence technological advancement.

“As computer and AI-driven systems become more sophisticated, the boundaries between human intention and machine-driven action often blur, raising critical questions about how to preserve, redefine, and, ideally, elevate human agency in an age of technological acceleration,” UN added.

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 25-member committee named the Nigerian Education Data Initiative (NEDI) to build a robust educational database for the country. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who inaugurated the committee on Monday in Abuja, said that the databank which would be centralised and harmonised would consolidate all critical education data in the country.

He said that the initiative was geared towards addressing the problem of out-of-school children and other educational challenges in the country. The committee was given till the third quarter of 2025 to build the database for the educational sector.

The Minister explained that the databank would not merely house information but serve as the foundation for evidence-based decision-making and policy development. Alausa noted that it would also enable the prompt delivery of quality education that meets the aspirations of every Nigerian child.

Wini Group has secured support from Lagos State to establish Nigeria’s first university dedicated entirely to Artificial Intelligence in Epe. The institution, named Wini University, aims to position Nigeria as a leading player in global technological innovation.

In a recent statement, Wini Group said the university would serve as a hub for technological advancement, equipping Nigerian youths with cutting-edge skills in AI, quantum computing, blockchain, and other emerging technologies.

The initiative seeks to address unemployment and prepare graduates to compete and lead in the global AI market. The decision to site the university in Epe received the backing of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose administration has worked to position the state as a tech and innovation hub.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps members to utilize the opportunities provided by the scheme through the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) to become job creators.

SAED National Director, Mr. Kehinde Aremu, made the call on Monday at the flag-off ceremony of the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Stream II SAED in-camp training programme at the NYSC camp in Wannune, Tarka Local Government Area of Benue.

Aremu explained that SAED was established to cater to the needs of corps members, providing them with the opportunity to learn various skills that would be immensely beneficial even after their service year. He noted that the rate of unemployment in the country was high, advising them that it was in their best interest to acquire skills in order to beat joblessness after national service.

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The professional future of today’s and tomorrow’s students will be defined by adaptability and openness to change. A core element of success is that theory and practice mutually inform each other. AI has long been a part of everyday life. It is engrained in how we find information on the internet, use our mobile phones, or discover music and movies that fit our tastes.

And yet, we have barely begun to tap into AI’s greatest potential for value creation: Companies and their employees can make tremendous leaps ahead in terms of competitiveness and productivity by infusing AI into business processes – in the thousands of decisions and transactions that create value every day.

Beyond boosting the performance of individual companies, embedding AI in business processes at a scale can boost the performance of entire economies. The potential of AI implementation is particularly great in countries with significant transformation agendas

The Ethiopian Education and Training Authority’s recent decision to subject all higher education institutions to its new re-registration and licensing requirements is taking its toll on private institutions. At the end of the new process’s initial application period, 84 private institutions have not reapplied for registration as required by the Education and Training Authority (ETA). According to the ETA, there are nine more institutions that may join this group very soon.

The total represents 25% of the estimated 360 private institutions that are currently operating in Ethiopia. This development marks a critical phase in the history of the private higher education sector, reminiscent of 2010, which was the year when the sector was barred from running academic programmes in teacher education and law.

Notwithstanding the various setbacks over the years, the Ethiopian private higher education sector has grown to become one of the leading sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the number of institutions and the size of its student population, and with more potential for growth.