Nexford University Expands Across East Africa
US accredited, next generation university expands to East Africa, after rapid growth in Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa
Renowned Kenyan entrepreneur – Dr. Laila Macharia – also appointed, plus partnerships with local Kenyan recruiters and career advisors – to boost graduate career prospects
Washington, DC – 15 March 2023: Nexford University – the Washington DC-based next generation university platform offering affordable, US accredited degrees worldwide – announces its expansion across East Africa starting with Kenya, and the appointment of leading Kenyan businesswoman, Dr. Laila Macharia, as Senior Advisor.
Nexford’s expansion to Kenya follows rapid growth of its learner base across Africa, including Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa. Since inception in 2019 – over 8,000 Nexford learners worldwide have completed over 33,000 skills-focused courses, preparing them for the 21st century workplace.
Fadl Al Tarzi, founder and CEO of Nexford University, commented:
“Kenya’s economy continues to grow and is destined to leapfrog development as a result of a relatively strong primary education system, a robust technology infrastructure and a government clearly committed to digital transformation. Similar to many other African nations Kenya is witnessing a supply-demand imbalance across higher education, largely as a result of rapid growth in youth population. We are excited to help address that capacity shortage in partnership with a number of local organizations.
We are equally excited to help address local and global talent shortages by enabling Kenyan youth to build the skills they need to qualify for both local and remote jobs. We’ve seen many encouraging examples of how Kenyans can excel in remote jobs, at a time when employers in the US are struggling to find talent locally.”
Dr. Laila Macharia – renowned Kenyan lawyer, businesswoman, entrepreneur, and investor – has been appointed as Senior Advisor focused on strategic partnerships across East Africa starting with Kenya. Laila is Chair of the Africa Digital Media Institute (“ADMI”), Non-Executive Director of Absa Bank, and Vice Chair of the Centum Investment Company. Her vast experience in leadership and mentoring will support Nexford’s growth and the success of its Kenyan learners.
Laila Macharia, Senior Advisor to Nexford University, said:
“I am passionate about education and the social and economic opportunities it opens up for young people – so I’m delighted to be joining Nexford. I look forward to working with Nexford’s global team to deliver new opportunities for Kenyan learners.
“I was also thrilled to speak at Nexford’s online education event in Nairobi, raising awareness of the huge opportunity for talented Africans to prepare for the future of work and access the global grid of remote employment. The many benefits of online education – provided by platforms such as Nexford – will help the shift from a ‘brain drain’ to amassing ‘brain capital’.”
Kenya’s market context has made fully online education options such as Nexford compelling. Rapid recent rises in student numbers has strained facilities and human resources at Kenyan public universities – creating financial challenges and accusations of falling education quality. In 2022, Kenya had its highest number of prospective university students in five years. Over 173,000 high school pupils qualified with grade C+ or above (2017: 70,000). In 2021, only 167,046 places were available in public and private universities. This increase in the number of students is giving rise to a supply demand mismatch – a lack of publicly available university spaces is pushing more students to invest in increasingly costly private education, further driving unaffordability.
A Kenyan Presidential working party on education reforms is seeking a threefold increase in university fees for government-sponsored students to help fund improvements to education quality. Funding will also be limited to top graded students, with 40% of all students who got a C+ or above set to miss out on public funding. Combined with proposed fee increases, this raises questions around the sustainability of the reforms and strongly encourages alternative, online models such as Nexford to innovate Kenya’s education sector and meet the country’s growing demand gap from its waiting list of learners – for affordable, high-quality education.
As Nexford strives to deliver education relevant to 21st century employers it has partnered with the Federation of Kenya Employers – the national body for Kenyan employers, to analyze skills shortages across Kenyan employers. The results of this analysis will inform Nexford’s curriculum development efforts to help employers upskill and reskill their team members, in-line with Nexford’s global backwards design model which uses employer data to deliver skills-focused curricula.
Nexford will be expanding in Kenya through a range of online partnerships as the organization maintains its online-only strategy which it has adopted worldwide. These partnerships include employer partnerships in order for employers to access Nexford’s pipeline of qualified graduates. Examples of such employers is Superfoam, a leading company in the manufacturing sector.
Nexford is also exploring collaboration with local universities who wish to offer their existing learners additional online programs offered by Nexford, to complement their existing offline offerings. They include Zetech University – a private university integrating innovation, entrepreneurship and technology, and Riara University – a private university specialized in business and ICT.
To spread awareness around online education and remote career readiness, in collaboration with ADMI Nexford hosted an event attended by hundreds of Kenyan youth and young professionals. Taking place on March 10, leading Kenyan businesses, educators and recruiters attended including Gladys W. Wagura – Director, Open Distance & e-learning, Zetech University; Galaty Grace – Head of Talent Acquisition, Wasoko; and Paul Breloff – CEO & co-founder, Shortlist. Attendees learned about online education’s advantages, the skills essential for success in the digital economy and heard directly from employers on what they look for in candidates.
Nexford’s tech-enabled business model delivers education efficiently without compromising on quality. Average annual tuition for a Master’s degree from Nexford costs $2,800 – a fraction of the US national average of $36,000.
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Further information
Thoburns
Katie Smitten
+34 633 663 699
Notes to Editors
About Nexford University
Nexford University is a US-accredited next-generation university platform, built for leaders, not followers. Via its online learning experience, Nexford aims to positively impact millions of lives around the world. It believes in taking a different path and standing out from the crowd.
The traditional university experience hasn’t changed for 100 years. Nexford believes the experience is no longer fit for purpose, and it is time for a paradigm shift in higher education. One that puts learners first, giving them the skills to succeed now – and in the future.
Nexford provides learners with a fully online global education based on mastery of competencies that are relevant in the workplace. It equips learners with the skills needed for lifelong learning and skill development. A global learner community supports learning and success through the innovative use of technology, such as AI and machine learning.
Since its inception in 2019, Nexford has expanded its academic offering to include over 100 skills-focused courses, with over 8,000 learners in 100 countries who have completed more than 33,000 courses and graduated from 1,100 full degree programs.
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