For decades, preparing Africa’s next generation of innovators was associated with attending a physical university and following a conventional path from the classroom into the labour market. As technology reshapes how people work, build businesses and solve problems, however, the idea of what a university should look like is changing.

Young people increasingly need more than a degree. They also need the flexibility to learn, experiment, build and apply their knowledge to real-world challenges while continuing their education. This has created new possibilities for institutions and raised a question: can Africa’s next generation of renowned innovators be equipped without spending all their time in a traditional classroom?

The experience of Almustapha Damilola Usman, a 200-level Data Science student at Miva Open University, offers one perspective on what this model can make possible.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Almustapha reflected on his journey from being a uLesson beneficiary during his secondary school years amid the COVID-19 pandemic to becoming a student at Miva Open University, a tertiary education platform established by the uLesson Group. He addressed the open letter to Sim Shagaya, founder of the uLesson Group and Miva Open University.

His account describes more than a personal transition from one digital learning platform to another. It highlights how technology-enabled education can provide continuity in a student’s learning journey while giving young people room to pursue ambitions alongside their studies.

Almustapha said the institution’s vision is to transform African education from conventional and rigid structures into a “digitised, proactive, and flexible system.” He added that he could make that assessment because he is “a product of it.”

In his words:

“I want to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to you, sir, for birthing Miva Open University. Your mission and vision of transforming African education from conventional, rigid structures into a digitised, proactive, and flexible system that represents one of the most significant innovations Nigeria currently possesses. I am saying this because I am a product of it.”

The significance of Almustapha’s statement is reflected in the work he and other Miva students are undertaking. In the same account, he said that he and another student from Miva’s Faculty of Computing emerged as the best innovators at Deep Learning Indaba 2026, described as Africa’s largest gathering of researchers, students and professionals working in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science on the continent.

The students are Almustapha, who is also the founder of ZisoCare, and Kolade Stephen Afolabi, a 300-level Software Engineering student and founder of StripppleCare. Their achievement illustrates another aspect of flexible education: what students can build and accomplish when they have the room to develop ideas while studying.

Through ZisoCare, Almustapha is building a closed-loop eye-care system that combines clinical-grade screening, licensed specialists and AI-powered detection. The system is intended to help prevent avoidable blindness linked to diabetic retinopathy across Africa.

Kolade’s StripppleCare is a technology-driven platform designed to detect fraud in the healthcare system through claim validation for health maintenance organisations (HMOs), insurtechs, hospitals and pharmacies.

Their work shifts the discussion beyond whether students can learn without being physically present in a conventional classroom. It also raises the question of how flexible education can give young people more scope to build, experiment and solve problems as they learn.

Miva Open University has made technology and flexibility central to its approach to higher education. As Nigeria’s first licensed private open university, it allows students to pursue academic programmes while creating room for innovation, entrepreneurship and the practical application of their skills.

The institution’s model challenges the assumption that quality education must always take place within four walls. The performance of its students at a continental platform such as Deep Learning Indaba shows how access to education, technology, flexibility and an environment that supports students’ ideas can come together.

The full interviews about Kolade Afolabi’s and Almustapha Damilola Usman’s experiences are available here:

• Miva Student Kolade Afolabi Is Building Trust in Healthcare Financing with StripppleCare
• How Miva Student Almustapha Is Using AI to Tackle Blindness in Africa with ZisoCare

Related: Sim Shagaya’s Miva Open University unveils Yaba centre and AI learning companion for students