US varsity raises $4m to build next-generation higher institutions in Nigeria

Nexford University has closed a seed round of $4 million in its quest to build a next-generation University in Nigeria.

The US-based institution's project is aimed at building a learning experience that bridges the gap between higher education the global workplace needs.

“We as founders believe that lack of education remains the single largest root cause of most world challenges. Our mission is to enable greater social and economic mobility across the world, through education. We are determined to create an innovative learning experience with student interests at the forefront, one that better prepares students for today’s workplace,” said Fadl Al Tarzi, CEO, Nexford University.

The investor base includes angel investors from across the world, representative of the startup's global ambitions. Investors include Magnify Ventures, which itself is a startup, in addition to angel investors from New York, Dubai, Cairo, Geneva and London.

The seed investment will be used to build the university’s underlying technology which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to offer students a personalized, engaging and yet affordable learning experience. This phase also includes designing and building a curriculum built from scratch, based on global employer needs. Specific details are yet to be disclosed however the University has indicated Nigeria, Egypt, and Philippines will be among their primary markets. Students in these markets face a severe shortage in high quality yet affordable American universities.

Nexford University’s newly appointed Country Ambassador for Nigeria, Olamidun Majekodunmi, indicated that this is a welcomed move towards more higher education success stories emerging from the continent.