By Elizabeth Osayande

Ahmed Ogundimu, the innovative entrepreneur and Product Manager behind NGScholars.net. This groundbreaking platform, originally known as ngscholars.com, was established in 2012 with a mission to simplify the complex admission process for Nigerian students. Ahmed’s personal experience with the challenges of accessing reliable information during his academic journey has been the driving force behind the platform’s creation. NGScholars.net has now evolved into a go-to resource, providing up-to-date information on admission requirements, exam results, and scholarship opportunities for thousands of students seeking admission into Nigerian universities and other higher institutions. With a relentless focus on empowering students, the platform has reached over 20 million people, contributing significantly to society by alleviating the anxiety and uncertainty surrounding the critical phase of the admission process.

Ogundimu in an exclusive chat with Vanguard shares more insights on the prospect of NGScholars.net.

Kindly introduce yourself, your specialization, and the driving force to innovate NGScholars.net.
My name is Ahmed Ogundimu. I am an entrepreneur and a Product Manager who has created several businesses to help address several pain points for Nigerians and businesses. The driving force behind NGScholars.net, which started as ngscholars.com, was my desire to address the challenges students face in navigating Nigeria’s complex admission process.

Having experienced the difficulties of accessing reliable information during my academic journey, I was motivated to create a platform that simplifies this process for others, providing them with the resources they need to make informed decisions about their education.

How long has the application existed, how far has it thrived, and in what area are you adding value?
NGScholars.net has been operational since 2012, and over the years, it has grown to become a go-to resource for thousands of students seeking admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and other higher institutions. We add value by offering up-to-date information on admission requirements, deadlines, exam results, and scholarship opportunities. We also provide guides and tips on choosing the right courses and institutions, thereby helping students align their academic pursuits with their career goals.

Who is your target audience, and how much was invested in the project?
Our target audience includes secondary school leavers, prospective university students, and anyone involved in the education sector who needs reliable information on admissions and scholarships. NGScholars.net was initially self-funded, with investments focused on web development, content creation, and digital marketing.

While the financial investment was modest at the start, the real investment has been in the countless hours dedicated to researching and providing valuable content. We have invested millions of Naira on employees’ salaries, web hosting, and promotion on platforms such as Facebook, X, and even BlackBerry Channels back in the day.

In what area is the platform contributing to society?
NGScholars.net contributes to society by empowering students with the knowledge they need to successfully navigate the admission process. By providing accurate and timely information, we help reduce the anxiety and uncertainty that often accompany this critical phase in a student’s life. We have reached over 20 million people over a decade. Additionally, we promote educational opportunities, such as scholarships, to help alleviate the financial burden on students and their families, thus making higher education more accessible.

For example, back when NGScholars started, candidates had to travel down to some schools to view admission announcements on notice boards on the school campus. We bridged that gap by hiring campus ambassadors who shared the information with us, and we published them online. Today, more universities have websites.

We also made scholarships and study abroad information available to many Nigerians who are now contributing meaningfully to society because they got the right scholarship information from NGScholars.net. We still get testimonials from people who got helpful information from our platform about taking advantage of tuition-free universities in Germany. Many people did and are grateful they did. I can keep going all day.

What are the challenges you are facing on the project, and how have you surmounted them?
One of the primary challenges we face is keeping the content updated in an environment where admission policies and deadlines can change frequently. To address this, we’ve established a robust network of contacts within educational institutions and continuously monitor official channels to ensure our information is current.

Another challenge is reaching a broader audience, which we’ve tackled by leveraging social media and search engine optimization strategies to increase our visibility. Finally, most of our audience are secondary school leavers who depend on their parents’ devices and the internet to read admission news. This “middlemen” between them and the internet can often cause them to access the news when they are stale. However, more and more high school students now have their phones, so the situation is improving.

Briefly, tell us some of your plans for the application and how you intend to achieve them
Looking ahead, we plan to expand NGScholars.net’s offerings by incorporating more interactive tools, such as personalized admission trackers, a learning portal, and AI-driven course recommendations. We also intend to broaden our reach to cover more aspects of students’ educational journeys, including career counseling and study abroad guidance.

To achieve these goals, we plan to collaborate with academic institutions, technology partners, and industry experts to develop and implement these new features.