NUTM, a tech-focused varsity gets licence to operate in Nigeria

Johnstone Kpilaakaa -

Four years after it was founded, the Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM) has secured licence from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to operate in the country.

"We are incredibly proud of this milestone and grateful to the National Universities Commission for recognizing our commitment to excellence in education, and for their support," says Babs Omotowa, Founding President of NUTM.

NUTM will begin to launch a stream of undergraduate programs starting from September 2023 offering courses across computing, natural sciences, management, and business studies. Students will gain access to world-class faculty, modern-day pedagogy, and experiential learning modules for effective learning that will ensure that our graduates are ready for the future of work.

With this licence, NUTM will award degrees in computing—i.e B.Sc. computer science, B.Sc. cyber security and information technology—economics, management & business studies and natural science. According to NUTM Governing Board chair, Okechukwu Enelamah "NUTM is poised to become the premier STEM institution in Nigeria that will prepare young people to become change agents in Nigeria and beyond".

Unlike uLesson's Miva University that also received its NUC licence on Monday, NUTM operates a physical campus in Lagos. "However, we maximize technology for virtual learning where and when necessary," the University's spokesperson told Bendada.com.

Prior to the NUC licence, the Lagos-based tech and business varsity operated the NUTM Scholars Program (NSP), a one-year interdisciplinary postgraduate program with a focus on technology, entrepreneurship and design. NSP is still operational and its currently seeking entrants for its 2023/2024 class.

Affiliations with the Nigerian tech & business ecosystem

As a tech university operating Africa's startup hub Lagos, NUTM has some familiar names in the Nigerian tech ecosystem on its board. Enelamah who chairs the governing board is Nigeria's former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and founder of African Capital Alliance, a pan-African private equity firm based in Nigeria.

Last year, Babs Omotowa was appointed as the founding president of the university. Prior to joining NUTM, Babs was CEO of NLNG Limited, where he led it to become the highest corporate tax-paying organization in Sub-Saharan Africa and earned record revenues ($40 billion during tenure).

Also on the board is Omobola Johnson, senior partner at TLcom Capital. She served as Nigeria's minister of information and communication between 2011 to 2015. During her four-year tenure at the ministry, she oversaw the launch and execution of the National Broadband Plan and the pioneering involvement of government in a local VC fund and a network of startup incubators.

"Africa's greatest opportunity and its greatest challenge are its youthful population. NUTM is uniquely positioned to harness that population into a powerhouse of STEM talent for Africa and the world." — Omobola Johnson
Dean, NUTM Scholars Program.

Other members of the governing board include:

  • Fiyinfolu Oladiran, a partner at McKinsey & Company;
  • Bola Adesola, chairperson of the Lagos state Employment Trust Fund
  • Kofi Kwakwa, a partner at African Capital Alliance
  • Arnold Ekpe, ex-CEO of Ecobank Group

Aside from the aforementioned individuals, NUTM has since signed partnerships with notable tech and business organisations Mastercard, Africa Fintech Foundry, Catalyst Fund amongst others.