Dr. David Seyi Akanbi is certified e-learning developer and instructional systems designer with more than ten years of professional experience in human capital development. In this interview with ROTIMI IGE, he spoke about his reason for bringing the American Open University to Ibadan and why Nigeria doesn’t need more graduates with only degrees and no life skills.
You’ve ventured into the business of education and technology; was there a specific moment in your journey where you realised that traditional education models in Nigeria needed a digital overhaul?
It wasn’t just a realisation; it was a survival instinct born out of pain. In July 2001, I stood outside the gates of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, watching my peers go to class while I walked away. My family simply could not raise the school fees. I had to drop out. At that moment, the traditional system told me: “No money, no future.”
That experience nearly destroyed my destiny. But in 2002, I found a lifeline—not in a lecture hall, but in a computer training center in Ogbomoso. I was hired as an office assistant, essentially a cleaner. But I made a pact with myself, I would clean the floors, but I would also clear a path for my future. I arrived early and closed late just to get hands-on time with the computers.
I realised then that while the Polytechnic wanted my tuition, the computer center gave me a skill. Learning graphic design and illustration gave me an edge that a certificate alone never could. That skill actually led me to work right here at the Nigerian Tribune years ago. I sat in these very offices as a graphic designer, planning pages and writing articles. That ‘portable skill’ saved me.
I realised that Nigeria doesn’t need more graduates with paper degrees; we need young people with skills that can survive economic storms. American Open University is my answer to that 2001 version of myself; we are building the bridge I wish I had.
How has your personal background influenced the EDGE Framework (Educate, Develop, Grow, Empower) that the American Open University champions?
The EDGE framework is not just academic theory; it is the codified story of my life.
Educate: This represents the knowledge I craved when I dropped out.
Develop: This is the mentorship I received from those who let me use the computers after hours.
Grow: This is the grit I developed working as a cleaner while learning to code and designing pages here at the Tribune.
Empower: This is where I stand today, having consulted for Fortune 100 companies like Lockheed Martin and Edward Jones, and many federal government agencies in the US.
I built this framework because I know that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. I wanted to create a system where a student doesn’t just memorise facts (Educate), but builds character (Develop), gains real-world experience (Grow), and leaves with the power to change their economic reality (Empower).
From your experience, what is the single most critical tech skill that Nigerian graduates are currently missing when trying to compete in the global ‘earn globally’ marketplace? And how do you intend to bridge the gap?
It is ‘Applied Problem Solving’. Many graduates know syntax—they can write code or design a flyer. But they don’t know how to use technology to solve a business problem. In the US, when I hire for federal agencies, we don’t look for people who can just use tools; we look for people who can architect solutions.
At A-Global, we bridge this by being an industry-engaged university. We don’t just teach you ‘Python’; we teach you how to use Python to automate a financial process for a bank. We are introducing competency-based education where exams are not just about writing answers, but about building projects. We are training students to be builders, not just users.
Ibadan is most times overshadowed by Lagos in the tech scene. What strategic advantages did you see in Ibadan that made it the right ‘soil’ for your American Open University?
Ibadan is the intellectual capital of Nigeria. It is a city of ‘firsts’. But strategically, it gave us a ‘soft landing’. Building a university is a marathon, not a sprint. It took us 10 years to get here. Since 2023, we have been recruiting and training staff full-time without yet admitting students. If we had attempted this burn rate in Lagos or Abuja, the overhead costs would have crippled the vision before it started.
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Ibadan offers us a unique blend: access to brilliant minds (thanks to UI and the research institutes) and a cost of living that allows us to be patient with quality. We needed a place where we could plant this tree deep before the winds of the market tested it. Now that our roots are strong, we are expanding—our centers in Ogbomoso and Ondo are active, and we are preparing to launch our Lagos and Abeokuta campuses.
How do you plan to collaborate with existing pillars like the University of Ibadan or the growing number of local tech academies to ensure the hub is a partner, rather than just a competitor?
The sky is wide enough for all birds to fly. We see the University of Ibadan as the ‘grandfather’ of academic rigor, and we are the ‘agile grandchild’ of digital innovation. We are already in talks for research collaborations where their theoretical depth meets our technological speed. As for tech academies, we are an ecosystem enabler. We offer the accreditation and global certification that their students often hit a ceiling without. We are here to partner, to certify, and to elevate the entire region.
What courses do you exactly offer? Beyond training individuals, how do you envision this hub influencing the local economy and Ibadan’s reputation as a budding tech destination?
We offer specialised B.Sc. programs in Software Engineering, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Business Administration, and Entrepreneurship.
But we are not just selling degrees. Our mission is simple: To help you start a new career. If you already have one, to help you advance and accelerate it. And if you feel stuck? We will help you pivot and transition to a whole new life. Start. Advance. Transition. That’s it. That is the mission. Reinvent. Reskill. Reposition. American Open University is future-forward.
Beyond the individual, we are building a “Silicon Savannah” in Ibadan. By training thousands of students to earn in dollars while living in Ibadan, we are injecting foreign currency directly into the local economy. When a student in Bodija works remotely for a company in Texas, that money is spent in Ibadan markets, real estate, and businesses. We are not just exporting talent; we are importing prosperity.
Setting up a ‘tech-driven’ hub in Nigeria comes with specific hurdles—power, high data costs, and hardware accessibility. How is the hub engineered to remain resilient against these regular local challenges? Also, are you working with government on any project?
Resilience is built into our DNA. While we face the same local power challenges as everyone else, our operations are designed to be unstoppable. We run a 24/7 global operation enabled by staff scattered across the world—from the US to the Middle East to Nigeria. When the sun sets in Ibadan, our team in another time zone is just waking up. For connectivity, we have bypassed traditional limitations by deploying Starlink for Business, ensuring high-speed, low-latency satellite internet that keeps us connected to the global grid regardless of local infrastructure failures.
Regarding the government, we are fully aligned with the Federal Government’s push for TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and skill-based learning. We are positioning ourselves as the academic engine room that translates government policy on ‘future-ready’ youth into tangible, employable reality.
With ‘Japa’ being a major trend among tech talent, how do you encourage your best students and instructors to build and innovate locally after they’ve acquired global-standard skills?
I don’t discourage ‘Japa’; I encourage ‘Japa from home’. Why leave your family and culture to drive an Uber in London when you can earn a global salary as a senior developer living in Ibadan? That is the mindset shift. For our staff, we invest heavily in them. As I mentioned, we hire and train for six months before they deliver value. Yes, some may leave, but as the saying goes: “What if we train them and they leave? But what if we don’t train them and they stay?” We choose to build assets.
Will you operate a ‘hybrid’ campus?
Yes, absolutely. We operate a hi-flex model. We have our global campus in Ibadan for those who need the immersive environment, but we also have city centers in Ogbomoso, Ondo, and soon Lagos and Abeokuta. Education must fit into the student’s life, not the other way around.
In five years, what does the balance between physical presence in Ibadan and virtual learning across the globe look like for AOU?
In five years, I see a 70/30 split. 70 per cent of our students will be joining us virtually from across Africa and the world, leveraging our technology. But the 30 per cent physical presence in Ibadan and our other campuses will remain the ‘heart’—the laboratories, the innovation hubs, and the research centers where the physical building of hardware and robotics happens.
While software engineering is popular, do you have plans to expand into ‘frontier tech’ like Blockchain, AI, or Green Tech, specifically tailored to African problems?
We are already there. Our information technology program has a dedicated specialisation in AI Engineering and MLOps. We are not just teaching AI; we are teaching students how to build AI agents that can solve African problems—like automated pest detection for farmers or credit scoring for the unbanked. We are planting the seeds for African solutions to African problems.
Aside from enrollment numbers, what is the one metric that will tell you three years from now that this hub has been a success?
Employability. I don’t care how many students graduate. I care how many have offer letters within 90 days of graduation. If our students are not getting hired or starting viable businesses, we have failed. That is my metric.
When people talk about the American Open University’s hub in Ibadan a decade from now, what is the one thing you want it to be most notable for?
I want it to be known as the place where destiny was restored. Just like that computer center in Ogbomoso restored mine. I want people to say, “I was written off, I had no funds, I had no hope… until I found A-Global.”
That is why we have developed the SKILL scholarship—specifically for ‘that younger me’. It is for the brilliant student who has the skill and the hunger but lacks the funds. We are ensuring that no future leader has their destiny thwarted simply because they cannot pay. I want to plant a tree today that provides shade for the wayfarers of tomorrow. That is my legacy.
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