The virtual world of the internet has seen lots of young people take up challenging fields. At the forefront of internet technology, young people have globally conquered such gigantic fields as communication via social media and the arduous tasks of buying and selling have been simplified by online marketing. Even school systems have a place in the virtual world. Here is a profile of how one man has wielded the powers of the internet into his passion for education.
In 2012, 24-year-old Gossy Ukanwoke founded the Beni American University, Nigeria’s first online university with an objective to remove the barriers that hamper access to higher education in Africa, and create lasting opportunities for all age groups beyond the classroom. The online college is tailored to provide on-site human capital development for businesses and flexibility of study for individuals. Students are to complete a minimum of a 36-course hour that will run for a 12 week period. For assessment, the best 10 of weekly assignments are used for grading, in addition to four quizzes and one final examination.
Gossy graduated from the Girne American University with a B.Sc. in Management Information Systems. It was while studying as an undergraduate that he launched the Students Circle Network, an online educational platform whose success inspired the founding of BAU. In the SCN, a pool of over 10,000 academic resources from over 200 universities is made available and shared free for students, teachers and institutions.
The success of both startups has had their bits of challenges. The Students Circle, for instance, was self-funded. And for the Beni American University to be recognized as a university in Nigeria, the laws require that it must have a physical campus, so Gossy had to acquire hectares of land in Benue State. Being the first of its kind, another challenge lies in trying to convince people about the credibility of his idea. Notwithstanding, the BAU Research and Development, the large umbrella which houses BAU online and the proposed university, continues to get recognition. Currently, there are over 3000 students in the BAU Online institution, and a proposed Beni American University site in Cross River State is under construction and will hopefully be launched in 2017.
Categorically, there is a huge potential for Gossy, not just in Nigeria, but in Africa as well. Nigeria’s population alone is over 150 million and the median age of this is 18 years. Secondly, though they might at first be skeptical about venturing into new areas like online education, a majority of Africans appreciate the internet as an effective tool.
Both Gossy’s parents are teachers, hence, he grew up within a framework that highly considered education a priority. Giving one of the most remarkable statements about education, he told CNN in 2014, “It’s not just about getting a certificate- education is about teaching people how to live; how to interact with others, how to lead their lives and make something out of themselves.”
Internationally, he has been profiled by Forbes, CNN, Huffington Post and TechCabal, has spoken extensively at conferences on education, technology and entrepreneurship, and has featured articles on The Guardian UK. Conferences include speaking at the Entrepreneurship and Education panel at the Special Session of the African Union Commission on Labour, Youth and Women Employment at Windhoek, Namibia, the African Union Commission on Education, Youth and Women Employment, the 20th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, the Harvard Africa Business Conference, and at his alma mater, the Girne American University PhD series seminars. He was also one of the finalists for the 2016 “Young CEO of the Year” award organized by Africa CEO Forum Awards.
Gossy, who works with a team of experienced people of which he is youngest, is admired for his skills in leadership and he believes that no age is too young to pursue whatever it is one has desired to do.