By Ephraim Oseji

AltSchool Africa has said a Nano-Diploma programme can give Africans more flexible access to skills that support careers, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning.

The organisation said this while launching the company’s Lagos office.

Speaking at the event, the organisation’s Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Adewale Yusuf, said the initiative came from a need to make learning more adaptable to different realities across the continent.
“When I finished secondary school at 16, I could not continue because my parents could not afford it,” Yusuf said. “That experience planted the dream that became AltSchool. The Nano-Diploma is another step in ensuring that no one is left behind, regardless of background or circumstance.”

The new programme follows complaints by learners who argued that the school’s original one-year diploma, which requires about 20 hours of study each week, was too demanding for people combining learning with jobs or family responsibilities. Yusuf admitted that in the pursuit of global accreditation, AltSchool’s structure became more rigid than intended. “We have listened, and we are adapting,” he said.

Rachael Onaja, Head of Learning, Innovation and New Markets, said the Nano-Diploma retains the school’s focus on employability while offering shorter learning cycles.

“You could be a customer service agent today, and by applying what you learn from the Nano-Diploma immediately, you start seeing results even before completing the programme,” she explained.

The new programme is priced at ₦45,000 ($30), a fraction of the $290 fee for the full diploma. It will be available in multiple African languages, including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, French, and Swahili. Onaja said this approach is meant to ensure inclusion for learners in both urban and rural areas.

Emmanuel Ogunsola, Head of Product and Engineering, added that learners can now sign up in less than five minutes on any device, with payments available in local currencies and through mobile money. The school has also introduced “GO,” an AI-powered assistant called Alti, which can recommend courses, summarise lessons, and create flashcards. Yusuf described the tool as “a school in your pocket.”