American Open University (A-Global) has marked its first anniversary as a licensed private university, highlighting its efforts to bridge the widening gap between university education and the skills required by employers in Nigeria’s rapidly changing economy.

The university, which operates its Global Campus in Ibadan, said it had expanded its academic portfolio to 21 programmes across three levels within its first year, comprising eight undergraduate degree programmes, three professional master’s programmes and 10 executive and professional development certificate programmes.

The Founder and President of A-Global, Prof. David Seyi Akanbi, said the institution was established to address the mismatch between academic qualifications and workplace competencies.

Akanbi, reflecting on the university’s first year, said its vision was to build an institution focused not merely on producing graduates, but on developing graduates who are job-ready, future-ready and capable of creating employment.

According to him, “visions don’t die; even when the visioners pass on, the dream continues,” adding that the university’s first year had demonstrated what could be achieved when Nigerian talent was matched with a future-focused educational model.

One of A-Global’s major milestones during the year was the formal opening of its Global Campus in Ibadan in February 2026 under the theme, “Future Forward.”

The institution also onboarded 40 faculty members from across the globe under its proprietary EDGE framework, Educate, Develop, Grow and Empower, while eight faculty members were sponsored to obtain Cisco certification.

Another major academic milestone came on June 19, 2026, when the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved A-Global’s first three postgraduate programmes, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Information Technology (MIT) and Master of Public Administration (MPA).

The university said the programmes incorporate artificial intelligence into their core modules and would be delivered through its HyFlex model, which combines physical and digital learning.

The first postgraduate cohort is expected to commence studies in the 2026/2027 academic session.

In expanding access to education and opportunity, A-Global introduced its SKILL Scholarship, a funding model that assesses applicants based on financial need, technical knowledge, innovation, leadership potential and evidence of self-directed learning, rather than examination grades alone.

The university also launched a free AI-powered Software Development Bootcamp in Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ogbomoso and Ondo Town, reaching four cities across three states.

At the Grand Pitch Day held in Ibadan on May 9, three participants, Fakunle Olajuwon Ayomide, Adeniji Flourish and Lawal Mubaraq Tolulope, won full B.Sc. scholarships after presenting applications developed during the bootcamp.

A fourth participant also received a full discretionary scholarship, bringing the number of students studying at the university on full scholarships to four.

The university also highlighted its professional development initiatives during the year, including an artificial intelligence training programme for 120 journalists of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council.

It also hosted the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria and partnered with the Oyo State Ministry of Establishments and Training to train 100 senior public service leaders in talent management, mentoring and succession planning.

According to the university, more than 220 professionals participated in its flagship training programmes during the first year, while over 1,230 applications were processed.

A-Global said its academic offerings were designed around sectors with growing demand for skilled manpower, including business, entrepreneurship, public administration, software engineering, information technology, data science and cybersecurity.

The university said its first year was anchored on the belief that Nigeria’s challenge was not a shortage of university degrees but a mismatch between qualifications and workplace competencies.

“Competency is the method. Capability is the outcome,” the university stated, adding that its goal was to produce graduates equipped to enter the workplace, adapt to the emerging AI economy and create their own ventures.

As it enters its second year, A-Global said it would deepen its professional partnerships, expand its learning network and commence its first postgraduate programmes.

The university also plans to implement its EDGE Strategy 2026–2030, a five-year institutional strategy designed to guide its academic and institutional development.

A-Global was licensed by the NUC on August 13, 2025, and operates its Global Campus in Ibadan, Oyo State, using a competency-based and HyFlex approach to higher education.

The university’s first anniversary report is titled “One Year of Opening Global Opportunities.”