Covenant University recently made headlines after being named the best university in Nigeria by The Higher Education (THE). This is a significant achievement for the private Pentecostal Christian University.
The university’s commitment to innovative education and leadership has helped it succeed significantly in just two decades. It has surpassed even the likes of the University of Ibadan (2), which has been Nigeria’s best university for many years, Obafemi Awolowo University (14) and the University of Lagos (4), all of which are among Nigeria’s oldest universities.
Covenant University is one of the leading universities in Africa that emphasises Christian mission ethos and aims to provide students with the tools they need to succeed. The school hosts 8,940 students with a gender ratio of 37:63. 37% of its academic research also involves interdisciplinary science. The student-to-staff ratio at the university is 17.5.
The school was established in 2002 and is associated with the Living Faith Church. The institution’s founder and chancellor is Bishop David Oyedepo, the church’s general overseer. The university’s mission is to cultivate a new breed of leaders and restore the honour of the black race.
Covenant University has four colleges dedicated to vocational studies: College of Business and Social Sciences, College of Leadership and Development Studies, College of Engineering, and College of Science and Technology.
Tech Founders who are alumni of Covenant University
Over the years, Covenant University has produced some notable and successful tech entrepreneurs in Nigeria. The university has also produced exceptional alumni members who have made significant contributions to other sectors of society
This is a little surprising given its steady investment in infrastructure development, research and entrepreneurship in keeping with the university’s commitment to excellence in education and innovation.
This article highlights seven Nigerian tech founders who have made notable impacts in their own unique ways.
NOTE: The listed founders represent only a small fraction of the brilliant innovators in the Nigerian Tech space who have graduated from Covenant University. We have only limited our mention to just 7 for brevity.
Somtochukwu Ifezue, Odunayo Eweniyi, and Joshua Chibueze- PiggyVest
Somtochukwu Ifezue, Odunayo Eweniyi, and Joshua Chibueze are the brilliant minds behind PushCV and PiggyVest. PushCV is an online platform that connects job seekers with employers, providing resources for job search and career development.
PiggyVest, on the other hand, is a leading savings and investment platform in Nigeria. It helps users save money and invest in various financial products effortlessly.
Similar: PiggyVest hosts ecosystem leaders’ roundtable on the Nigerian financial landscape
Somto and Odunayo graduated from the university in 2013, while Joshua graduated in 2012. Since they all attended the institution around the same time, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that the university played a crucial role in laying the foundation for their innovative endeavours.
Dickson Nsofor- Kora
Dickson Nsofor is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kora, a fintech startup that provides a secure and seamless payment infrastructure for businesses across Africa. Since its inception in 2018, Kora has sought to ease payment issues for Africans by providing cross-border payment services, which cut down on the cost and difficulty of transferring money in and out of Africa.
The Canada-headquartered company started as a platform that helped Africans from abroad send money to African recipients. So far, the company has evolved into a payment infrastructure that fosters payments made by indigenous and international businesses in and out of Africa.
Dickson graduated from Covenant University with a degree in information engineering in 2013.
He has acquired extensive work experience in internet and mobile technology companies, where he has utilised his expertise in IT, business analysis, and project management to enhance operational efficiency in organisations like the UN, Humaniq, and Lixon Mobile.
Oluwasoga Oni- MDaaS
Oluwasoga Oni co-founded MDaaS, a healthcare startup that provides access to affordable medical diagnostic services.
Oluwasoga Oni attended CU between 2002 and 2007, obtaining a bachelor of engineering in Information Communications Technology (ICT). Subsequently, he obtained a master’s degree in systems engineering and management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
MDaaS Global launched its first diagnostic clinic in 2017, providing imaging, cardiac, and laboratory services. Since then, the company has experienced remarkable growth, expanding to 17 locations across 10 states in Nigeria.
Read also: Health tech company, MDaaS Global raises $3m to expand service across Nigeria with BeaconOS
Through a combination of its technology backbone and distributed care network, MDaaS Global has served over 275,000 patients to date and supports over 1,300 healthcare facilities, companies and HMOs who rely on BeaconHealth for their diagnostics needs.
Uka Eje – founder of Thrive Agric
Founded by Uka Eje (CEO) and Ayodeji Arikawe (CTO) in 2017, ThriveAgric started as an agricultural technology startup that provided access to finance, premium markets, and data-driven advisory for smallholder farmers.
ThriveAgric helps farmers scale their operations and improve productivity, ultimately contributing to food security and economic growth. In 3 years, the startup had grown to become a notable African Agritech startup, with backing from Y Combinator—one of the world’s most successful startup accelerators—in 2019.
Uka Eje obtained a B.Sc. in biochemistry from Covenant University in 2013. Recently, he was listed on Africa’s Business Elite 40 Under 40 List.
Read also: “We can laugh about it now” ThriveAgric’s Uka Eje on how the company survived the COVID-19 troubles
Yomi Adedeji – Softcom & Eyowo
Yomi Adedeji is a co-founder of Softcom and Eyowo. Softcom is a technology company that provides innovative solutions for various industries, including education, finance, and healthcare.
Yomi holds a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Covenant University in 2007. He is an alumnus of the Stanford University SEED program on innovation and general management.
Eyowo is a digital banking platform that allows users to perform financial transactions with ease, offering services like money transfers, bill payments, and more.
Similar: Eyowo says its MFB licence has been reinstated by CBN with an ‘approval in principle’
Oghenetega Iortim – co-founder of Figorr
Oghenetega Iortim graduated with a degree in information and communication engineering from Covenant University, Upon graduation, he became very involved in agriculture, working closely with Ayodeji Arikawe and Uka Eje, both of whom are now co-founders of Thrive Agric.
He has made a name for himself in the Nigerian tech scene with cutting-edge products and solutions to his credit. Oghenetega founded Figorr, formerly Gricd, a health-tech company that specialises in cold chain solutions for healthcare products. The name change signalled its new focus on software solutions.
Figorr develops IoT-powered solutions that complement existing infrastructure and assets to reduce or eliminate losses associated with transporting and storing temperature-sensitive and perishable goods in Africa.
The company’s solutions provide real-time data on location, humidity, temperature and other vital data points, enabling businesses and other stakeholders in agriculture, healthcare, logistics and other sectors across Africa to maximise the value of perishable and temperature-sensitive goods such as vaccines, insulin and food.
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