Benin City births business school, opens front in professional, international education

...enters into partnerships for efficiency

By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY — WHAT started as a conversation about expanding access to international education has taken a broader shape with the birthing of the Benin City Business School (BCBS) in the Edo State Capital.

The school is expected to combine executive education, professional certification and practical skills development with access to internationally oriented qualifications.

Its early steps included a partnership with the British Academy Pathways (BAP) and University Application Portal (UAPP), UK, as well as discussions with the Edo State Government on programmes aimed at strengthening human capacity within the State.

Speaking on the vision behind the institution, the President who is a former Permanent Secretary for Education in the Edo State Civil Service, Ojo Akin-Longe said the school was established to bridge the gap between academic qualifications and the practical skills required in today’s workplace.

“Education must do more than award qualifications. We need to equip people with the knowledge, professional competence and practical skills to perform effectively in the workplace, build enterprises and contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities and institutions,” Akin-Longe said.

He said that philosophy is reflected in the school’s planned combination of academic pathways, professional certifications and career development.

According to him, one of the school’s first major developments has been its partnership with the BAP and the UAPP.

Speaking on the development with Vanguard on Monday, he said the partnership agreement was signed in Benin City by Mr Md Shamim, BAP Managing Director and CEO of UAPP UK, and Mr Anthony Atagamen, West Africa Director for UAPP UK.

The president of BCBS said under the arrangement, the school would provide a Nigerian centre for student study, administration and support, alongside virtual interactive classes and other learner-support services.

The partnership would also support students pursuing BAP UK qualifications through a structured learning environment in Nigeria “Rather than requiring every aspect of the learning and administrative process to be managed remotely, the model is intended to give students a local point of support while they pursue internationally oriented qualifications.

“For BCBS, the partnership provides an early link between its local presence and its ambition to connect Nigerian learners with international education.”

Akin-Longe said the school’s activities were not solely around individual students as the delegation also met with Hon. Kizito Okpebholo who is the Special Adviser to the Edo State Government on Public-Private Partnership where he said discussion centred on opportunities for BCBS and the Edo State Government to develop bespoke human-capacity programmes based on the needs of the State.

He said the proposed approach would combine credible professional certifications with practical, real-world skills, with the aim of strengthening the capabilities of professionals and institutions and supporting Edo State’s development priorities.

“Areas discussed included security training and development, information technology, and entrepreneurship.

Representatives of BAP and UAPP expressed their willingness to support BCBS in developing such initiatives with the Edo State Government.

That engagement gives the new business school a role that goes beyond conventional classroom education. It opens the possibility of professional education being designed around the needs of a government, its institutions and the people responsible for delivering public services.”

He said the CBS is developing programmes across business, leadership, entrepreneurship, technology and professional development and that its planned portfolio included Business Administration, Strategic Management, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Family Business and SME Development, alongside emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Digital Transformation, FinTech and Business Analytics.

It also planned programmes in Health Management, Social Care Leadership, Community Development and Healthcare Administration but that the range of programmes was less significant than the structure being developed around them.

He said the school planned to bring qualifications, professional certification and employability support into the same ecosystem through an International Qualifications Centre, Professional Certification Academy and Career and Employability Centre, he said “The International Qualifications Centre will support OTHM diploma qualifications and associated academic processes. The Professional Certification Academy will focus on practice-oriented professional certifications, while the Career and Employability Centre will provide workplace-readiness training, career development and coaching.

“The model reflects a view that professional education should not end when a student receives a certificate. The value of the education should also be measured by what the learner can do with the knowledge and skills acquired.”

Akin-Longe said the choice of Benin City is because the Edo State has a longstanding reputation as an education centre and has a large population of students, professionals and entrepreneurs. BCBS is seeking to build on that environment by providing local access to professional and international learning while connecting learners and institutions to external partners.

For the man whose career has included senior responsibility within the State’s education system, the institution would bring together several areas of experience: education, administration, entrepreneurship and professional development.

The partnership with BAP and UAPP provides an international dimension to that proposition, while the discussions with the Edo State Government introduce the possibility of applying the school’s resources to wider institutional and workforce-development needs.