Speaking at the 2024 BNI National Business Conference held recently in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Banigbe stressed the importance of diversifying Nigeria’s economy through these key sectors.

He said,

“Nigeria’s overdependence on oil has made the country highly vulnerable to global economic shocks and recession. It is crucial that we diversify our economy to mitigate these risks. By doing so, we can tap into global opportunities and reduce our susceptibility to economic downturns.

The impact of the Naira’s depreciation is a stark reminder of the need for diversification. The Naira has lost significant value compared to its worth just a few years ago, affecting everyone. Diversification is no longer just a strategic option; it is essential for creating jobs, generating foreign exchange, and strengthening our economy’s resilience”.

Banigbe explained that,

“Nigeria is home to one of the world’s most vibrant technology ecosystems, and its tech industry is growing at an incredible pace, making it the fastest-growing sector in the country. With a dynamic young population and an increasing demand for digital solutions, Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has immense potential to drive non-oil growth and become the nation’s biggest export.

The country’s tech ecosystem is characterized by a large consumer market of over 200 million people, with more than 500 active and viable startups, and a rapidly growing tech industry. Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Kano, and Aba are key startup cities, with Lagos being the most valuable startup ecosystem in Africa, valued at $2 billion”.

He further stated that Agriculture has the potential to drive growth and provide livelihoods for millions of Nigerians.

The sector accounts for up to 35% of total employment in Nigeria and contributes significantly to the country’s GDP. With the right investment and support, agriculture can become a key driver of Nigeria’s economic diversification.

Other non-oil opportunities which can be explored include the Fintech companies which have changed the payment system in Nigeria and globally, electronic commerce which has so far created more SMEs than we have seen in the last decade and Education technology which became more popular with the advent of COVID-19.

“9mobile is seeking to explore some of these opportunities to position itself as the enabler of the creative and innovative economy”, Banigbe added.

Beyond oil, Nigeria has a plethora of untapped opportunities waiting to be harnessed. Key areas of focus include Fintech which is revolutionizing payment systems locally and globally, with companies like Flutterwave, Paystack, and PiggyVest leading the charge; E-commerce currently fueling the growth of SMEs, with platforms like Jumia, Konga, and Opay creating new avenues for entrepreneurship; Education Technology which is transforming learning experiences, especially since COVID-19, with innovative solutions from companies like uLesson, Roducate, and Tuteria.

“We at 9mobile are committed to exploring these opportunities, positioning ourselves as a catalyst for Nigeria’s creative and innovative economy,” Banigbe concluded.

The 2024 BNI National Business Conference with the theme featured a distinguished lineup of speakers, such as Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as the Special Guest of Honour, alongside other notable figures including Dr. Adebola Olubanjo FCA, and Chief Kola Akosike of Oduacimma represented by Chief Abiodun Lasile.

The details of this partnership’s advancements were disclosed during an exclusive interview with Femisola Awosika, Roducate’s chief executive officer.

The collaboration between Roducate, a leading edtech startup in Nigeria, and Airtel, a telecommunications juggernaut, has not only led to a quantifiable improvement in exam success rates but has also demonstrated the power of collective efforts in transforming the country’s educational landscape.

Leveraging Airtel’s extensive network capabilities, Exam Bundle connects thousands of students to digital learning platforms students for quality educational content and interactive learning tools.

Awosika shared insights into the testimonials from users of the Airtel-Roducate educational product, stating,

“We have received great feedback from students, teachers, and parents on how resourceful the Exam Success bundle has been and the impact it has had on students’ performance.”

He added:

“We received a remarkable story of an elderly man who gave the study pack to his driver’s son and returned shortly after JAMB exams filled with thanks and praises to his boss for helping his son finally pass JAMB after two prior unsuccessful attempts. We also have a user who described Airtel Exam Success as having his whole academic life in his pocket. That’s the whole idea of the Airtel-Roducate partnership; making educational success a reality for Students.”

Reiterating the benefits of strategic partnerships for educational advancement, Awosika said,

“Our collaboration with Airtel has been incredibly successful so far. Telecom providers like Airtel are crucial in making education accessible to everyone and with Airtel’s extensive network, we can reach students in even the most remote areas of Nigeria. As we gear up for upcoming exams each year, our goal remains the same; to advance humanity and help students succeed in all their examinations.”

Ultimately, concluded Awosika, the Airtel-Roducate Exam Bundle is set for a brilliant future with students and their parents, especially as the partnership between the two tech companies continues.

“We will continue to leverage our partnership with Airtel as we explore more bundled educational solutions that would significantly enhance the learning experience of students across all levels of the educational sector,” he said.

The Airtel-Roducate Exam Success Bundle’ is a groundbreaking product that offers data packages on the Airtel network, granting students affordable and convenient access to premium exam preparation resources via the Roducate digital education platform. This innovative solution is instrumental in decreasing failure rates in national examinations including Common Entrance, GCE, BECE, JAMB and others, and removing barriers to higher education.

As the Airtel – Roducate partnership continues to evolve, both organizations remain committed to empowering learners across Nigeria.

By harnessing the power of digital platforms and mobile connectivity, they are transforming the educational landscape and shaping the destinies of countless students.

The partnership aims to productize digital access via the Airtel Roducate Exam Success bundle, which Roducate CEO Femisola Awosika has now said is delivering commendable results among students across Nigeria.

Femi Awosika, in a recent interview, highlighted the success of the Bundle in delivering quality education to all students and also emphasized the key role of telecommunications infrastructure in making education accessible to everyone.

According to him, “Since the launch of the Airtel-Roducate Exam Success Bundle, we have received great feedback from students, teachers and parents on how resourceful the exam success bundle has been and the impact it has had on students’ performance. Numerous success stories have sprung up, highlighting the profound impact of this joint initiative ranging from stories of young nursing students achieving unprecedented success in their exams to determined learners triumphing in tests like JAMB, GCE, BECE and the likes.”

The partnership between Airtel Nigeria and Roducate stands out as a prime example of leveraging technology and collective expertise to redefine how students prepare for their examinations. 

Since its inception, the ‘Roducate-Airtel Exam Success’ partnership has swiftly become synonymous with transformative education solutions empowering learners across Nigeria. It has exceeded expectations, yielding remarkable outcomes for students, educators, and parents.

Beyond establishing partnerships, it is also important to witness and measure its impact, and one of the means to measure this is through testimonials by beneficiaries.

In this context, it can be said that the Airtel-Roducate Exam Success Bundle is making an impact, gathering from the testimonials shared by Mr. Awosika in the interview.

 “We received a remarkable story of an elderly man who gave the study pack to his driver’s son and returned shortly after JAMB exams filled with thanks and praises to his boss for helping his son finally pass JAMB after two prior unsuccessful attempts. We also have a user who described Airtel Exam Success as having his whole academic life in his pocket. That’s the whole idea of the Airtel-Roducate partnership; making educational success a reality for Students,” he recalled.

He also added that the feedback from students, teachers, and parents has been overwhelmingly positive, reflecting the heartening testimonials that attest to the efficacy of Exam Success and these stories speak volumes about the transforming power of accessible education.

Through a combination of accessible study materials, personalized support, and the removal of traditional barriers to education, the partnership between Airtel Nigeria and Roducate has begun heralding a new era of academic empowerment. 

Central to the success of the Roducate-Airtel Exam Success initiative is the strategic utilization of technology and Airtel’s extensive network to provide students from diverse backgrounds with access to high-quality educational resources. 

By leveraging the power of digital platforms and mobile connectivity, the partnership goes beyond geographical constraints, reaching learners in even the most remote areas of Nigeria. 

This partnership has been essential in making quality education accessible to every student and as the initiative gears up for upcoming exams each year. The goal remains fixed to equip students with the tools needed to succeed academically and unlock their full potential.

By training students with the requisite knowledge and skills to excel in their examinations, the partnership is laying the foundation for a generation of resilient, empowered learners poised to shape a brighter future for themselves and their communities. 

Students, parents, educators and stakeholders in the educational spectrum have further been advised to leverage this tested and proven solution for excelling in national examinations including Common Entrance, GCE, BECE, JAMB and others. 

He concluded by saying “The Airtel-Roducate Partnership is a game changer for candidates sitting for National Examinations in Nigeria. With the module, students gain access to a structured 7-day exam study plan individually curated by certified examiners for each national examination which has proven to yield exceptional results. As long as an examination candidate follows their Exam Success plan diligently, the candidate is guaranteed comprehensive readiness for their exams. With this, we are not only contributing to decreasing failure rates but, more importantly, removing the barriers to higher education.”

Together, Airtel Nigeria and Roducate are not just bolstering the educational sector; they are shaping the destinies of countless students, empowering them to realize their aspirations and chart a course toward academic excellence and beyond.

“In order to attain the goals of economic freedom and prosperity, Nigeria must do certain things as a matter of urgency and priority. It must provide free education ( at all levels) and free health facilities for the masses of its citizens”- Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a staunch believer in affordable  education, and  pioneer of  free education across all levels in Nigeria.

Events in recent times within has continually sent us warning signals that we should care to do something innovative about the Nigeria’s education system.

According to the 2023 statistics, a total of 452,443 candidates applied for Medicine in Nigerian Universities whereas; there are only 78,578 MBBS admission slots.

Again, Jamb revealed that 239,018 candidates applied for Social Science courses whereas, there are only 97,744 vacancies.  Meanwhile, 227,453 candidates applied for Science related courses with a total of 141,397 available slots.

For the Engineering courses, the board revealed that despite a vacancy of 68,896 in universities a total of 163,123 candidates applied.

There is also staggering data across other examination bodies, which as already, technically prevented some brilliant educated students from gaining access to quality education and by extension deprived Nigeria their contribution to the commonwealth.

The implication of the above data churned out is that, success in examination in Nigeria requires not just a studious, well calculated, stress-free and smart approach, but also a down earth approach,  system and Technology driven solution that demand good grasp and  understanding of the education sector  landscape, whilst providing corresponding solutions. And this is what Airtel-Roducate synergy has come to do.

Airtel-Roducate Exam Success bundles offers the student the ability to learn without boundaries, afford student access to quality useful materials, Give the students the opportunity to ascertain level of or track the progress made in the process of learning.

Furthermore, the  Airtel-Roducate Exam Success bundles  gives the parent the opportunity to track how well the students are doing in the course of study, given the parent-children ability to achieve success in a most pleasurable way,  whilst getting outstanding results. All these are achievable within #200- #2000 depending on the subscribed package.

For exam success plus bundle, priced at N200; it comes with a physical pack, 4GB of free Data, a complimentary Airtel Sim card, and one-month access to all Roducate learning contents and exams success modules.  To activate this bundles one can simply dial *312*451#

One good thing about Airtel-Roducate Exam Success bundles is that it does not grant access to its users to initiate other actions; it is strictly customized for academic Purpose. Customer friendly prizes range from the sum of #200 to #200 per week or days.

According to Mr Femisola Awosika, the Roducate chief operating officer,  the Airtel- Roducate initiative  has brought solution to teething education challenge in Nigeria.

The Roducate Exam Success Bundles was birthed  against the background of the success recorded in the course of the pandemic (Covid-19) when his organisation came to the aide of the student at the edge of writing the Senior secondary School Examination, but are constrained by the pandemic.

Femisola said, the success in the overture earned his organization a state recognition and award by the Lagos state Government, hence taking leap from these pilot study and successes, and banking heavily on Airtel’s people focus culture, closeness to the people and massive investment in education over the years, we was left with no options than to go for Airtel, the people’s choice.

In his words:

“Where is the success coming from???it is coming from what we did during Covid-19, during this time, we partnered with some multinationals and Lagos State Government. Particularly the students in the Secondary School two in the course of the covid-19, the students who embraced it back them had outstanding results in their respective examination. In this light, we were given a state recognition and award in respect of our contributions.

“Permit me to say that we don’t just synergize with Airtel, Our scientific search reveals that Airtel is closer to the people. We also noticed that Airtel understands the culture and Technology that draws us closer to Airtel. So what we have brought to Airtel is success.

But how does Roducate aim to achieve outstanding results?

Oluwafemi Oshinlaja,  the chief commercial officer, Airtel Nigeria,  noted that Roducate  was the first education platform to come to the aid  of students during Covid-19 and had a great collaboration with Lagos State, and a few other  States.

Airtel’s Roducate bundle is very simple product, we believe in simplicity. It’s a bundle data offering, once you subscribed, you have a dedicated data access. So, throughout the subscription period, there will be no issue of ‘I don’t have internet’, ‘I don’t have data’ and you will be able to access affordable, high quality study resources, for students across different grades.  And they will be able to access resources for various national educations. And we have done the packing with great concern for the Nigerian students.

For instance, for those seeking a more streamlined option, the Exam Success Life Bundle offers 30 days of access to the Exam Success Module for N1000.  This is accessible by dialing *312*452#.

Similarly, the Exam Success Mini bundle, priced at #500, provides 15 days of access to the Exam Success module and can be activated by dialing *321*453#.

Students can also go for the least Package, The Mock Exams bundle which costs #250 only.

This package offers 7 days of access to the Mock Examination Modules, and it is activated by dialing *312*454#

Roducate is taking a giant leap to ensure that Airtel’s network of over 50 million Customers can improve the quality of education in Nigeria. For us in Airtel Nigeria, we are keen on education; our vision is about transforming lives, where education is a key pillar to transforming life.  Even as we bring digital to lives and also aids the level of financial inclusion.

With this innovation, every child can have this on the Tablet, over the phone, Laptop; with the Parent’s Guardian of course they will also see how far they are performing online in real time anywhere you are. So it is going to be helpful for parents and Teachers and we make sure that these data bundles are affordable. That is our contribution to reducing literacy level and deepening education level in Nigeria Spanning all levels of education in Nigeria.

We believe access to quality education is crucial for Academic success, especially in this digital this partnership is beyond providing access to study materials it also fosters the culture of learning and Academic Excellence because it is very interactive, it is something that the student will like to go through it is not boring you know, this platform would get students excited about learning.

We believed with a simplified access, a low cost, a low cost, we would be able to help millions of Nigerian students out there who need access to learning materials. So we intend to tackle the existing gap in access to comprehensive cost reflective and easily accessible educational resources. And this is applicable to students across a range of users, moving from secondary school, primary, to tertiary level. So it will be of great and immense help to various categories of people in all categories, such as educational sectors, instructors, students Tutors and parents.

Affirming the benefits Roducate Exam Success is poised to bringing on board through its initiatives, Chief Yusuf Alaka, the president, National Association of Private Schools (NAPPS) Lagos Chapter said, his school and Association are the first beneficiary of the audacious, yet result abounding solution of Roducate solution.

He noted that the team of experts who developed the Education Application had in some years before now approached him for the Academic curriculum of Secondary School and came back with a solution that makes it easy for students to succeed and tutors to teach effectively.

He disclosed that his schools and others who bought into the vision succeeded successfully.

He was however sure that extending the good gesture to the Nigerian student especially through the people’s network is a great move.

To Mr. Ishmael Adeshina, the marketing director Airtel Nigeria, access to education is extremely important to  Airtel  Nigeria.

Although, education this day is becoming expensive and in this digital age, no one should be left out, developing the product, access to digital learning therefore becomes key.

The bundle grants students affordable and convenient access to premium exam preparation resources via the Roducate digital education economy platform.

This was disclosed during a press conference which held at Airtel Headquarters in Lagos today, February 8, 2024.

The Airtel-Roducate Exam Success package provides a wealth of high-quality study materials, including tutorial videos, podcasts, study tasks, past questions, and mock exams.

It also includes curated daily study guides which are tailored to facilitate students’ preparation for various national examinations, including JAMB/UTME, Common Entrance examinations into secondary schools, WASSCE, NDA, BECE, and others.

Speaking at the event, Ismail Adeshina, the director of Marketing, Airtel Nigeria, said that the aim of the partnership is to provide cost-effective learning and examination resources for Nigerians.

“By leveraging Roducate’s robust digital education platform and Airtel’s expansive and reliable data network; students, teachers and parents can easily access top-tier exam prep resources conveniently and affordably, no matter where they are,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Oshinlaja emphasized the transformative impact of Airtel’s alliance with Roducate.

“At Airtel, we are committed to empowering students with the tools they need to excel in their academic pursuits, and with the Airtel-Roducate Exam Success, we envision a revolutionary digital learning environment in Nigeria. By combining Airtel’s unparalleled network reliability with Roducate’s extensive educational resources, we eagerly anticipate the success that will stem from this partnership,” Oshinlaja said.

The bundled data offerings that come with this partnership cater to a wide range of educational stakeholders, including students from nursery to tertiary institutions, learning centers, teachers, private lesson instructors, and parents. With learning content available for all classes and levels, alongside past questions and mock exams for national examinations, the Roducate-Airtel Exam Success package offers various price options to suit different user needs.

Femisola Awosika, chief executive officer of Roducate, emphasized the importance of the Airtel-Roducate alliance. “Our collaboration with Airtel will not only address the pressing need for comprehensive and cost-effective learning and examination resources, but it will also expand access to many more Nigerians across socioeconomic classes,” he noted.

The Airtel-Roducate Exam Success Bundles provide a range of affordable data. They include ‘The Exam Success Plus bundle, priced at N2000; which comes with a physical pack, 4GB of free data, a complimentary Airtel SIM card, and one-month access to all Roducate learning content and exam success modules. To activate this bundle, users can simply dial *312*451#.

For those seeking a more streamlined option, ‘The Exam Success Lite bundle’ offers 30 days access to the ‘Exam Success module’ for N1000.

This is accessible by dialing *312*452#. Similarly, the ‘Exam Success Mini bundle’, priced at N500, provides 15 days of access to the Exam Success module and can be activated by dialing *312*453#.

Additionally, students can opt for least package, the ‘Mock Exams bundle’ which costs N250 only. This package offers 7 days of access to the Mock Exams module, and it is activated by dialing *312*454#.

One of such aspects is education which remains in our everyday lives and is the bedrock of all other sectors. In recent times, education has become a necessity thriving hand in hand with technology, birthing edtech.

The need to combine education and technology has been way before the pandemic which put a rigorous speed to what seemed to have been underestimated. Of course, individuals and groups took this upon themselves, building edtech companies that are thriving and making the sector scale.

Not limited to these, some edtech startups making waves and have shown promising advancement include: 

1. Edukoya

The 24/7 free learning platform enables students to master key subjects and prepare for school and university entrance exams. Edukoya affirms that 96% of its students get higher scores within a short period and students are tutored according to their strengths, helping them get better with time.

A little over a month ago, the Lagos- and London-based startup raised $3,500,000 in pre-seed funding led by European VC firm Target Global to scale operations.

2. Teesas

Interestingly, Teesas enables its students to learn alphabets, greetings, songs, folktales and history in indigenous languages. The edtech platform has an app that enables parents to monitor their child’s learning progress in real-time.

With over 150,000 downloads on the Google Play Store despite being founded less than 2 years ago, Teesas raised $1,600,000 pre-seed funding in December last year. The funds were to enable the startup’s expansion into new markets, launch a marketplace that will link learners with tutors for private lessons, and expand the range of products in its portfolio.

3. uLesson

uLesson asserts that its app has been downloaded by over 2,000,000 people, 12,900,000+ lessons provided by the startup have been watched by students and 25,600,000+ questions from students have been answered by uLesson.

The two-year-old startup closed a $15,000,000 Series B round last year, 11 months after its $7,500,000 Series A, completed by five investors: Tencent, Nielsen Ventures, and existing investors Owl Ventures, TLcom Capital and Founder Collective.

4. Edcent

Edcent offers online courses and training for both universities and companies. The Nigerian-based company provides practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalised learning dashboard that enable users to study at their own pace, within or outside classrooms.

With users within and outside Nigeria, Edcent was also launched in the heat of the pandemic and raised pre-seed funding from CrownVest last year.

5. LearnAM

ScholarX, a Lagos-based edtech startup recently pivoted into LearnAM, a localised mobile platform that provides audio and visual educational content to improve digital literacy and inclusion in Africa.

LearnAM is a mobile platform that provides audio-visual content, in localized languages, to improve digital literacy, digital skills and vocational skills of Africans. The Startup adopts a freemium model and all of its foundational courses are free but users will be required to pay a few thousands to access more advance courses.

LearnAM is available on Android (for smartphone users). You can also access it via KiaOS (for feature phone handlers); in other words, people from low-income households who don’t have access to internet-enabled phones can use the platform on their feature phones.

The startup hit 11,000 users within two months it launched! It plans to reach over 100 million people in Africa, starting from Nigeria where it launched, with the three majority languages: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. It also has Pidgin and English languages.

Learners can switch from the English language to any of these local languages when taking a course on the app. It is definitely an edtech startup to watch in 2022

6. Edves

Nigeria and Ghana-based Edves provides a platform where digital learning and teaching is made seamless. Via the platform, parents can monitor their children’s progress in real-time.

Last year, the edtech company serving African k-12 schools raised $575,000 seed funding led by Beta Ventures to improve its technology and reach in over 800 schools across Nigeria, Ghana, and Zimbabwe.

7. Roducate

This is a comprehensive curriculum based e-learning platform launched in 2010. Everything schools need is, on Roducate. Schools can create their own platform on Roducate that mirrors the site’s main platform. The platform comes with a suite of features: Lecture Notes, Videos, Podcasts, Practice Assignments, Mock Exams and My Network–a chat function, within the app, for communication between teachers and students and among students. Learn more about Roducate here.

8. Ed Partners Africa

Ed Partners Africa makes access to quality education seamless. The edtech startup is focused on enabling access to credit for private schools providing education to the low-income populace.

Ed Partners Africa’s $1,900,000 fund raised last year enabled the company to boost its goal in bridging educational gap through school-focused lending and a hub-and-spoke based model where the company’s relationship managers work closely with the school leadership through the entire credit process.

9. Edusko

Edusko is an education marketplace for schools, parents, students, vendors, solution providers, EdTech and Original Equipment Manufacturers. Edusko leverages technology and data to make life easier for schools, parents, students, teachers, donor agencies, policy makers and leading brands that are genuinely interested in the African education ecosystem. 

The platform’s mission is to enhance the quality of and access to education in Africa by creating game changing solutions and platforms for education providers, school leaders, policy makers, teachers, parents and students.

10. Utiva

Utiva is developing talents for the future of work. The company organises a number of fellowships to help customers master certain tech skills like Digital Marketing, Data Science, Data Analysis, Product Manager, UI/UX Designer, and so on. According to them, they are the “best way to gain job-ready expertise for the careers of the future”.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) is backing Utiva in a $50,000 partnership meant to help more women and girls learn more premium technology skills. See details here.