American Open University (A-Global) has marked its first anniversary with the launch of 21 academic programmes, the approval of three master’s degrees by the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the award of four full scholarships to students.

The university, which received its NUC licence on August 13, 2025, said its first year was focused on building a career-oriented institution designed to bridge the gap between academic qualifications and workplace skills.

According to the university’s first-year report, A-Global opened its Global Campus in Ibadan in February 2026 and onboarded 40 faculty members from across the globe under its Agents of EDGE initiative.

The university also sponsored eight faculty members to obtain Cisco certification as part of its drive to combine academic training with industry-recognised credentials.

A major milestone came in June when the NUC approved A-Global’s first three postgraduate programmes — Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Information Technology (MIT) and Master of Public Administration (MPA).

The approval followed a resource verification exercise covering the university’s faculty, facilities, governance structure and other academic resources.

The university said the programmes will integrate artificial intelligence into their core modules and will be delivered through its HyFlex model, which combines on-campus learning in Ibadan with digital education.

A-Global currently offers eight undergraduate degrees, three professional master’s degrees and 10 executive and professional development certificate programmes.

The university also highlighted its focus on access to education through the SKILL Scholarship, which assesses applicants using a 100-point scorecard covering financial need, technical knowledge, innovation, leadership potential and self-directed learning.

In April, A-Global launched a free AI-Powered Software Development Bootcamp across Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ogbomoso and Ondo Town.

The programme culminated in a Grand Pitch Day on May 9, where three participants won full scholarships to study for B.Sc. degrees in Software Engineering or Information Technology.

The scholarship recipients were Fakunle Olajuwon Ayomide, who developed Arche Stream Earn; Adeniji Flourish, creator of Flowbite; and Lawal Mubaraq Tolulope, who developed House Plug.

A fourth student also received a full discretionary scholarship from the university, bringing the number of students studying at no tuition cost to four.’

Beyond its academic programmes, the university said it trained more than 220 professionals during its first year.

In January, 120 journalists from the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, received training on the use of artificial intelligence for journalism.

The university later hosted the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria and, in August, partnered with the Oyo State Ministry of Establishments and Training to train 100 senior public service leaders on talent management and mentoring.

Reflecting on the institution’s first year, the Founder and President of American Open University, Prof. David Seyi Akanbi, said the university was created to tackle what he described as a “degree-fitness” problem in Nigeria.

“Nigeria does not have a degree scarcity problem. It has a degree-fitness problem,” Akanbi said in the report.

He said the university’s objective was not simply to produce graduates but to prepare students to become job-ready, future-ready and self-employable.

Akanbi added that A-Global’s model is competency-based, with students expected to graduate with a B.Sc., two industry certifications and a portfolio of practical work.

Looking ahead, the university said its first master’s cohort will begin in the 2026/2027 academic session, while its scholarship scheme, professional partnerships and technology-focused training programmes will continue to expand.

A-Global said its five-year EDGE Strategy 2026-2030 will guide its development in the coming years, with the institution maintaining its focus on career-focused, competency-based education.

The university was licensed by the NUC in August 2025 and operates its Global Campus in Ibadan, Oyo State.