The Founder and CEO of GetBundi Education Technology, Osita Oparaugo, has said that Africa is well positioned to maximise the benefits of the ongoing digital revolution but must first reimagine how learning is done in the continent.
He stressed the need for Africa to embrace STEM education and digital skill learning, mobile-first learning, partnerships and policy support, and youth innovation hubs, calling for focus on teachers and ecosystems rather than just learners.
Oparaugo stated this during a panel session at the just-concluded Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition held on 11th-13th November 2025 at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The three-day conference, organized by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), came under the theme “Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future: Accelerating Growth, Inclusion, and Global Competitiveness”. It brought together policymakers, technology leaders, and private-sector players to harmonise regulatory frameworks, promote public-private partnerships, and drive the effective implementation of Nigeria’s national digital strategies for sustainable growth.
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Speaking during the panel session on “Education and the Future of e-Learning”, Oparaugo said learning in Africa must move away from rote memorization to practical and critical-thinking, problem-solving-based learning.
“If Africa dares reimagine how we learn, we can rewrite how we live, work and lead tomorrow. This must start with embracing STEM and digital skills education.
“Reimagining learning in Africa means grounding education in local culture, language, and experience. When students learn through stories that reflect their lives, they connect deeply with knowledge, and confidence grows,” he said.
Urging Africa to leverage its demographic advantage, Oparaugo said, “By 2050, one out of every three young people will be African. That means the world’s future innovators, thinkers, and leaders are sitting in African classrooms today.”
He highlighted how community-based innovation hubs are emerging as accelerators for hands-on learning – blending coding, design thinking, and entrepreneurship – and serving as the practical bridge between education and employability.
On the need for Africa to tap into mobile-first learning ecosystems, Oparaugo said with over 500 million smartphone users expected in Africa by 2030, the continent is already mobile-first.
“Leveraging low-data apps, offline-compatible platforms, and WhatsApp-based micro-learning can dramatically expand access, especially in rural areas. This is where scalable, inclusive impact will happen fastest.
“At GetBundi, digital learning is reaching millions of young Africans through mobile phones in their own languages. It’s a simple but powerful shift: turning the continent’s most common tool into its most important classroom,” he said.
He cited Kenya’s Digital Master Plan and Nigeria’s 3MTT initiative to show how governments and private tech firms are increasingly aligning around national digital strategies.
Quoting a recent piece that pointed out how teachers in multiple African countries lack digital skills themselves and need training and support, Oparaugo stated that by connecting broadband expansion with teacher training and curriculum reform, countries can create self-sustaining ecosystems for digital literacy.
“It’s not enough to roll out courses; the entire ecosystem (teachers, curricula, infrastructure) needs strengthening,” he said. “If we scale teacher professional development, embed digital-skills into curricula, and ensure infrastructure (electricity, connectivity) is in place, then scale becomes more sustainable.”
The GetBundi CEO ended his presentation with a call to believe, saying Africa’s moment has arrived and the continent must believe in its power to shape the digital age.
“Let’s invest not only in technology but in imagination. Not only in devices, but in dreams. Because what will truly transform Africa is not the tools in our hands, but the vision in our hearts,” Oparaugo said.
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“The next great innovators, teachers, and problem-solvers are already here, in our classrooms, our homes, our communities. They are waiting for us to believe in them,” he said.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, in his speech earlier during the opening ceremony, called on Nigerian youth to take the lead in driving Africa’s digital transformation, stressing that the country’s young population holds the key to a prosperous and inclusive future.
The 2025 conference was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who declared the event open, MD/CEO of UBEC, Dr Aisha Garba, who delivered the keynote on the topic “Education and the Future of e-Learning”, among other dignitaries. It attracted over 4,800 participants from 12 countries and 25 Nigerian states. It featured 12 keynote sessions, 23 panel discussions, five workshops, and two expert masterclasses across five thematic tracks: digital connectivity, digital public infrastructure and trust, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, digital trade and innovation, and digital skills and literacy.