uLesson Eyes Continental Expansion as Sim Shagaya Pushes Digital Education Growth

By Francisca Anuforo

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The uLesson Group and Chancellor of Miva Open University, Sim Shagaya, has outlined plans to expand the company’s digital education footprint across Africa, positioning technology-driven learning as a key pillar of the continent’s future workforce development.

Speaking during an interview on Marketplace Africa on CNN International, Shagaya discussed the evolution of the uLesson Group, its education model, and ambitions to scale digital learning beyond Nigeria.

According to Shagaya, the company operates across two major education segments designed to broaden access to quality learning.

“The uLesson Group serves two primary segments. We have a basic educational division which is uLesson and that serves primary and secondary school students across West Africa. Then we have a tertiary division, which is the Miva University division, and that currently serves 25,000 students across 70 countries around the world,” he said.

The entrepreneur explained that the company’s growth strategy is rooted in combining digital technology with education to make learning more accessible and scalable across underserved markets.

He said his previous entrepreneurial experiences helped shape the vision behind the platform and reinforced confidence in Africa’s digital transformation journey.

“There is massive digitisation of the world’s economy and Africa is no exception. In fact, Africa is leaning ahead more than other places,” Shagaya said.

He added that one of the most striking lessons from building businesses across the continent has been the willingness of young Africans to rally around shared innovation and long-term vision.

“It has always surprised me, the willingness of these young people to gather around a vision, support that vision and build something that is bigger than their individual selves,” he noted.

Beyond technology infrastructure, Shagaya said the company is deliberately building learning communities and support systems that extend beyond virtual classrooms.

According to him, Miva University integrates technology with human support through dedicated success advisors attached to every student.

“They are building a very strong sense of community that will continue even after graduation,” he said.

“While we build strong technology and best-in-class systems, we know that human dreams and aspirations will not be realised strictly through a browser, text or PDF documents.”

He explained that each learner is paired with a success advisor who functions as mentor, coach and academic guide.

“This is your coach, your mentor and your cheerleader. These are generally people who have performed very well in tertiary institutions themselves and understand what students struggle with academically,” he said.

Looking ahead, Shagaya disclosed that the company is pursuing further geographic expansion to deepen its presence across Africa.

“We are looking to offer our tertiary services in even more countries. We are pursuing a licence right now in Kenya, and we want to take these services to other parts of the continent,” he said.

Industry analysts say the growth of digital education platforms such as uLesson and Miva reflects broader changes in Africa’s education and technology landscape, where rising internet penetration, mobile access and demand for flexible learning models are accelerating investment in edtech.

The latest expansion plans underscore the growing role of African-founded education technology companies in addressing learning access gaps while building digital talent pipelines for the continent’s future economy.

Programme Note:
The interview aired on the latest edition of Marketplace Africa on CNN International.