The 7th edition of the Business of Education Summit, by Edusko was held on 4th November, 2023, in Lagos, Nigeria, drawing close to 2,000 esteemed delegates from various segments of the educational landscape in Africa. The summit,themed, “One Teacher, One Classroom” had in attendance top school leaders, educators, EdTechs, captains of industry and policy makers in Nigeria and beyond.
The keynote speaker at the event, Dr. Babs Omotowa,highlighted some of the actionable pathways to elevate thequality of education in Africa, including tax incentives for education investors, infrastructural development, private sector collaboration, educator training and proper investment in education by both the government and the organised private sector.
The first panel discussion at the summit dissected how government and the organised private sector can collaborateto empower educators. One of the distinguished panellists, Folawe Omikunle, CEO, Teach for Nigeria, emphasized the profound impact of teachers, stating, “No nation will arise above the support it gives to her teachers,” underscoring the pivotal role educators play in shaping the future, hence, the need to support them. She also posited that everyone should be involved in the business of education if we all genuinely desire positive changes in the sector.
The plenary concluded that government must also support the low fee private schools, acknowledging their vital role in delivering quality education for the students.
In another plenary, Oyindamola Egbeyemi, Director, The Foreshore School, Ikoyi, passionately advocated for digital literacy, asserting that children should not only be consumers of technology but also creators, with schools embedding digital citizenship which would help nurture responsible digital natives.
The panel urged educators and parents to embrace a global perspective, adopting ideas that work worldwide and tailoring them to our local-specific needs.
Other speakers and panellists at the summit included, TamirIsmail, Education Sector Director – Africa, UK’s Department for Business & Trade; Dr. Francis Adeshina, Co-founder, Readland Global; Ajo Balogun, CEO, JobRed; Titi Adewusi, Co-founder, 9ijaKids; Olanrewaju Oniyitan, Executive Director, SEED Care & Support Foundation; OmokoredeFasoro, Executive Director, Hallmark Secondary School, Ondo; Biodun Kolawole, Education Management Consultant; Oyindamola Egbeyemi, Executive Director, The Foreshore School; Sola Adeola, Director of Operations, Caleb Group of Schools; Olusola Ilori, Principal Consultant, Ella Education & Management Services; Korede Adedoyin, CEO, The VemoyeFoundation; Chioma Omolaye, CEO, TechEduHub and Alex Onyia, CEO, Educare.
The Business of Education Summit was launched in 2017 and over the last 7 years, thousands of school leaders and education stakeholders have participated in the summit. In the same vein, more than 150 renowned global speakers and subject matter experts have honoured the organisers’invitation to share their perspectives with the delegates.
Video highlight of the summit is available for viewing here. The next edition of the summit will be held in November 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria.
