Nigerian tech entrepreneur and founder of uLesson, Sim Shagaya, has announced that they’ve been granted an online university license by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Miva Open University, launched in 2023, is in line with uLesson\’s plan to expand beyond K-12 education and venture into open-distance tertiary education. This move comes four years after uLesson began its operations.\”
The online university, now called Miva Open University (miva.university), will commence offering degrees in computing and management courses —Computer Science, Software Engineering, Accounting, Economics, Business Management, Public Policy & Administration and Data Science and Cybersecurity.
Shagaya also disclosed that Miva Open University would soon expand its course offerings to include nursing and law. In doing so, it would be competing with the likes of AltSchool and Nexford University.
\’Miva Open University will push the boundaries of accessibility, affordability, efficacy, convenience and innovation. We will begin by offering degrees in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Accounting, Economics, Business Management, Public Policy & Administration, Data Science and Cybersecurity.\’
\’And we will expand rapidly into other degree areas including nursing and law and leverage any and every technological tool that will allow us to offer more and more to learners.\’ The former Konga CEO stated on his verified Twitter account.
Sim Shagaya is not a new name in the Nigerian tech world. He founded popular e-commerce site, Konga in 2012, growing it to become the most visited website in Nigeria according to 2015 data by Alexa Internet. Konga was later acquired by Imo-born businessman and Zinox CEO, Leo Stsn Ekeh.
In 2013, Shagaya won the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the CNBC/All Africa Business Leaders Award in West Africa. The following year, he was listed on the Forbes list of the 10 Most Powerful Men In Africa.