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Nexford Completes Pre-Series A Funding of US$10.8M

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Nexford University (“the Company”), a next-generation online university based in Washington D.C., announces the successful completion of a $10.8 million Pre-Series A funding round. The capital raise was led by Global Ventures, the UAE-based venture capital firm.

Participating investors included Future Africa’s new thematic fund focused on education, which is led by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, the co-founder of Flutterwave and Andela, plus angel investors, family offices and VCs from 10 countries including the US, UK, France, Dubai, Switzerland, Qatar, Nigeria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The global investor base reflects Nexford’s ambition to build an American university – designed for a global audience.

Nexford is a tech-enabled online university. It was founded on two beliefs:  a lack of education is the root cause of most world challenges; and people should be able to access economic opportunities irrespective of physical location.

From inception, the Company’s founders’ vision was of a world moving towards a virtual talent grid. As internet connectivity increases worldwide, the only barrier to accessing economic opportunity should be skills.  The right skills should provide access to this talent grid.

Nexford will use proceeds to fuel its regional expansion plans particularly in Asia, continue building products to deliver skills employers are looking for, and expand its B2B offerings. With employer funded education already accounting for a large percentage of Nexford’s revenue, the university aims to expand its offering to meet rising needs for re-skilling and up-skilling in a post pandemic workplace.

Launched in 2019, Nexford’s revenues in 2020 grew by 300%, with learners enrolling from over 65 countries. Nexford also has blue-chip partnerships with Microsoft, LinkedIn Learning and IBM to provide access to tools, courses and programmes to enrich the learning experience. Nexford’s curriculum is also specifically designed to match employers’ needs with its graduates’ skills.

The Company leverages machine learning and Artificial Intelligence to create a data and skills-driven curriculum. Access to Nexford’s quality, yet affordable education, empowers learners with these skills which can be deployed immediately, helping to address global unemployment.

Nexford’s accredited degrees cost c. $3-4k paid in monthly instalments. Learners choose when they study, have access to 24/7 support, and graduate at their own chosen speed. The monthly instalment structure means the faster a learner graduates, the less they pay.

In Nexford’s latest learner survey, 98% said they would recommend Nexford to others and 95% said they gained valuable workplace skills.

Nexford University’s CEO, Fadl Al Tarzi, said: “For years, millions of global learners have expressed dissatisfaction with the status quo, and millions more are on the side lines left underserved by current options.

“Learners want high-quality, yet affordable education relevant to today’s business environment, whilst retaining the flexibility remote learning provides.

“In 2021, it is not acceptable for less than 10% of the world population to have a college degree, or for student debt in the US to be over $1.6 trillion. Now, with additional funding, we can invest in the technology and teams required to address these challenges.”

Global Ventures’ General Partner, Noor Sweid, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Fadl and the Nexford team on their journey toward expanding access to universal quality higher education in emerging markets.

“Nexford University is redressing the mismatch between the supply of talent and the demands of today’s digital economy. This job is essential and necessary, and Global Ventures is excited to support the team in that endeavour.”

Iyin Aboyeji, CEO of Future Africa, said: “During the pandemic, while many universities in Nigeria were shut down due to labour disputes, Nexford was already delivering an innovative and affordable new model of online higher education designed for a skills-based economy.

“Nexford is an absolute game-changer for higher education in Africa.  We are excited to make this Future Africa’s first investment out of its soon-to-be launched fund focused on the future of learning.”


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E-Business

Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

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Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.

GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.

In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.

Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).

GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.


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Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

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At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”

Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.

A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.

Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”

Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.

“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”


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Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

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Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

Galaxy Backbone Tops FG's Website Performance Ranking

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.

The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.

He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.

This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.

GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.

The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”

As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.

With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.

 


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