THE Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, has underscored the pivotal role of education and entrepreneurship in Africa’s path to greatness.

Speaking at the ninth Africa Leadership Magazine Summit in London, Echono emphasised that integrating education with entrepreneurial skills are essential for unlocking Africa’s potential.

The event was designed to mobilise policymakers, business leaders, and other stakeholders to explore sustainable socio-economic strategies for the continent. Echono advocated robust policies and strategies to help Africa overcome obstacles and seize opportunities.

Founded in 2019, Teach For Liberia is a leadership development initiative that aims to address critical gaps in Liberia's educational system. During the recent graduation of its third cohort, Teach for Liberia expressed commitment to its core mission of providing rigorous training and education to its fellows.

Teach For Liberia (TFL) has announced that it has positively impacted approximately 40,177 Liberian students since its inception in 2019. TFL Chief Executive Officer Alicia Ann Caesar announced the organization's impact during the recent graduation ceremony for the third cohort of TFL fellows in Monrovia.

Teach For Liberia, recognized in 2019 as the fifth partner of Teach for All in Africa, has formed a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education to align its activities with best practices and broaden its impact. This collaboration aims to enhance the organization's reach and effectiveness across the nation.

The Chief Executive Officer of Kenyon International and co-founder of the Victor-Helen Foundation, Dr. Victor Ekpenyong, has advocated for increased private sector involvement in enhancing the quality of education in Nigeria.

Ekpenyoung stated this at the 2024 graduation and passing out parade of the Navy Secondary School Borokiri, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, recently. The Kenyon International boss highlighted the crucial role of Nigerians in bridging infrastructure gaps and providing world-class learning tools to help shape Nigeria’s next generation of future global leaders.

Ekpenyong highlighted the potential impact of the private sector’s contribution, saying, “The private sector’s contribution is vital in helping school administration elevate the current conducive learning environment. Only through our collective effort can we bridge the existing infrastructure gaps and equip our students with the tools they need to excel on a global stage, bringing hope and optimism for a brighter future.”

Universities and several other research Institutes in Nigeria and beyond have been accused of not maximizing several window of opportunities to access available funds from several international donor agencies for quality research and development.

This was disclosed at a meeting organized by the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) for Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities under the umbrella of Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) and several other officials of the universities and research institutions, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Dr. Sindi Kirimi, Programme Manager, Catalyze Impact Initiative, APHRC, in a presentation titled “Catalyzing African Research: Strategies for Excellence, Outputs, and Visibility, highlighted that barely 10 per cent of funds allocated to African institutions for research gets to the institutions due to challenges.

Grooming Centre Nigeria, a microfinance institution, has opened its application portal for this year’s university research grant scheme for students in both public and private-owned tertiary institutions nationwide.

Launched in 2019 as a corporate social intervention effort on education with just 25 beneficiaries, the number of beneficiaries has steadily increased and now has raisen to a total of 393 at the HND, undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral degree levels in five years.

At a news conference to announce the commencement of submission of applications for this year’s edition in Lagos, the Head of Project, Grooming Centre Nigeria, Mr Egulefu Chikezie, declared that the annual non-refundable grant aims are to encourage and boost evidence-based research activities and knowledge among tertiary school students in critical economic areas that include social enterprise, microfinance, inclusive finance, rural development, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women in development and other areas aimed at lifting people out of poverty.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed N1.17 billion to 20,000 students across five tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This announcement was made by NELFUND’s Managing Director/Chief Executive, Akintunde Sawyerr, during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

The conference followed a one-day working visit by the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu. Sawyerr revealed that an additional N850 million would be released to students from another institution who applied for loans on Wednesday.

He also noted that loans for students from approximately 100 public universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education are currently being processed.

Spelman College, a leader in the education of women of African descent based in Atlanta, has signed an agreement establishing a framework for collaboration with three Lagos-based universities; University of Lagos, Lagos State University, and Pan-Atlantic University

The agreement which was signed in recognition of the 50-year Sister Cities partnership between Lagos and Atlanta, aims to deepen U.S.-Nigeria educational ties and support teaching, research, and student and faculty exchanges, with a focus on women’s education; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and the creative industries.

Helene Gayle, the president of Spelman College and a member of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement speaking during a panel discussion to commemorate the launch of the agreement, highlighted the importance of partnerships in higher education.

The training, organised by the Africa Dyslexia Organisation, is part of its efforts to provide comprehensive support and resources to individuals with dyslexia across Africa. The Founder of the Africa Dyslexia Organisation, Rosalin Abigail Kyere-Nartey, said the workshop marked a significant step in “Our ongoing efforts to provide comprehensive support and resources to individuals with dyslexia across Africa”.

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.

Speaking at the ceremony, a Deputy Minister of Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, said the ministry was partnering with the organisation to create awareness of dyslexia, a learning-related condition that affects reading and writing.

The Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmou has directed the Federal Capital Territory Authority through the Department of Quality Assurance, Universal Basic Education to ensure standardisation and best practices are met in all schools as teachers implement the curriculum.

She stated that the implementation of the current National Education Curriculum, which stipulates that cognitive learning and skills acquisition should not be separated, Nigeria was on the path to greatness.

Speaking at the Kia Lakeside Academy graduation ceremony, Wuye, the minister acknowledged that the private sector has contributed immensely to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) education sector. The minister said the easiest way to destroy and cripple a country was not through bombs or rockets, but by simply watering down the content of what was taught in schools.

The Vice-Chancellor of Pan Atlantic University, Lagos State, Prof. Enase Okonedo, has identified the significant growth in the number of private universities in Nigeria compared to federal and state-owned universities.

There are 147 private universities in Nigeria, 62 Federal universities and 63 State universities. Okonedo noted during a recent art exhibition at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum on campus. She said, “For the first time in the history of Nigeria, we have more private universities than we have federal and state-owned universities.”

Prof. Okonedo discussed the unique educational approach her institution offers, emphasising that many private institutions were either faith-based or individually owned, contributing to a diverse educational landscape

NABU, a tech-enabled publisher of multilingual books, providing children with quality, culturally relevant, bilingual stories has collaborated with HP to empower African children, Nigeria inclusive with digital learning skills by 2030.

Announcing the initiative during the unveiling of the Lagos lab, Country Head/Director, HP Computing and Printing in Nigeria, Emmanuel Asika, noted that on the global scene, NABU had been in partnership with HP since 2021, and that HP has given strong support to NABU’s global vision since then.

“HP has supported NABU vision globally. Together, we have launched Creative Labs in Rwanda, the Philippines and Nigeria and have also rolled out literacy offerings in Haiti, Rwanda, Kenya, Romania and the Philippines. Now we are embarking on a six-year plan across Africa aiming to reach 25 million children by 2030,” Asika said.

Chief Executive Officer of Teesas, an educational technology (EdTech) firm, Osayi Izedonmwen, has said there is a need to develop social, emotional learning and leadership skills among learners across educational institutions with respect to quality education delivery.

Izedonmwen, who stated this during a leadership and digital transformation conference for the educational sector, in Abuja on Tuesday, said introducing new transformation is important as the world is moving from the typical way education is delivered in the past where they relied on hard copy books and outdated methods of teaching.

"We are bringing educators from all kinds of schools and giving them insight on how to develop leadership skills in students and also equip them with education management tools that are digital in nature to help them transform and effectively manage their schools and prepare their students for the future of work," he said.