PARADIGM SHIFT : Experts Brain Storm On Education, Charts A New Course For Africa. Watch Videos Below.

 By Emmanuel Edom

It was a paradigm shift on  Education discourse last Thursday, January 29, 2026, as Experts converged at the University of Lagos auditorium,to brain storm on new model, pattern, towards bringing innovations that jettison or disrupts  old ways and usher in technological approach to Education in Africa.

 Indeed , it was a gathering of stakeholders across the Education sector in a meeting tagged “disrupTED Education Summit 2026″, organized by a private firm, ” Edukate Africa” 

The summit was attended by students cut across University of Lagos, Lagos State University and other institutions .

 Anchored  in sessions of discourse, full of wit, sound logic and intellectualism, but all aimed at proffering a novel model in building sustainable financial system, to make education more accessible, inclusive and future-ready across the continent.

In an opening and welcome address by an erudite UNILAG Scholar ,Professor Olufemi Olayemi, who is also the Founder of Young Entrepreneurs of Nigeria, he  emphasized the importance of shaping young minds with positive ideas and innovative thinking.

 He called for a renewed perspective on Africa as a continent rich in both human and natural resources, noting that the full realization of its’ potential lies in the strategic use of ideas, technology and a paradigm shift among youths toward creativity and innovation.

 According to him, such transformation holds the key to driving economic, social, and educational growth.

The first session was moderated by Modupe and  anchored by panelists comprising of Deby Okoh, currently a Regional Manager, Brunel University of London, Ashley Emmanuel, Chief Operating Officer, Semicolon, Olapeju Ibekwe, Chief Executive Officer of Sterling One Foundation and Adetomi Soyinka.

The panelists interacted on need to revisit School Curriculum ; future of work in Africa and Entrepreneurial skill amongst others. 

For Adetomi, there is urgent need for practical experience outside academic knowledge across Africa, hence flexible curriculum system comes to the rescue.

Harping on the fact that every child deserves basic education,Adetomi,insisted on innovations, collaborations and reinvestment on public schools.

Contributing, Ibekwe called for long term investment and capitalization. She  laid credence to the fact that Education is the basic foundation of every Nation, hence lack of Education is a security risk.

Okor, advocated for Entrepreneurial skills , apprenticeship  and internship in either private or public sector to enable students work and learn before their final year project and graduation.

Talking about critical thinking ,especially for Soft ware  Engineers , Ashley also spoke on resilience , durable skills and psychological safety.She emphasized on leveraging technology to unlock opportunities especially for marginalized communities .

On privatization of Education and modeling of Education towards skill acquisition, the second panel of the day which was moderated by Bernice Orji, had Tomide Williams ; Bujuwoye Emmanuel and Oladotun Ajayi.

 In an interview with Journalists, one of Edukate Africa Directors,Francis Omorojie, stressed the urgent need to enhance youth educational talent and establish stronger financial frameworks to support skill acquisition.

 The Director explained that the core objective of the summit was to unite stakeholders in forging strategic partnerships that would guarantee access to funding for quality education for all.

He revealed plans for educational grants and endowments to kick-start Edukate Africa’s programs, signaling a concrete step toward turning discussions into action.

Speaking, another Directors of Edukate Africa, Mr. Tosin Adebisi , noted that it was in recognition of the rigid adherence to the old ways of running Education ,especially in Nigeria , that prompted his organisation to evolve an idea for the Summit.

 He said, “we have to keep innovating, keep thinking of doing things differently. So at the core of what we are doing is how to think differently. How can we re-imagine every thing about education especially how we can redefine and disrupt how we currently teach, how we learn and how we can access those things we call problems. Some of those problems are lack of access to good education, adequate financing, skills, employability gaps.”

 Optimistic , Adebisi further noted that,  “we just have to think of how to connect different people doing amazing work from different areas. What we are telling parents and young people is that the talent is here and we want to close the gap.

 “What young people should be thinking about, is how ready are they for the future, what is their place in the changing dynamics of the global world. The situation should not be that I am in Nigeria or that I am a Nigerian but the question should be how globally relevant am I, and how do we engage young people in those conversations.”