By Taiwo Ayo

Michael Asefon, a software engineer and education reform advocate, is redefining digital learning across Africa.

The former postgraduate student and technologist recently spoke on the Mastercard Foundation’s EdTech Monday Nigeria Show, highlighting the potential of online education in transforming higher learning.

During the panel, titled Digitising Higher Education in Nigeria: Opportunities and Challenges, Asefon shared his experience studying fully online while maintaining a demanding software engineering career.

“Flexibility is the key,” he said. “E-learning allowed me to grow my professional life, acquire new skills, and still complete my academic programs without sacrificing opportunity.”

Asefon emphasised that digital learning requires more than emergency measures, calling for structured investment, robust infrastructure, and blended instruction to ensure sustainability.

“It is difficult for individual lecturers to build online learning frameworks alone. Universities need strong systems, strong leadership, and strong structure to make digital learning sustainable,” he noted.

His contributions have reached tens of thousands of students, teachers, and youth through initiatives supported by Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) and the Mastercard Foundation. In 2022 alone, programs he supported engaged over 24,000 students, 3,300 teachers, and 5,000 youths.

Asefon’s insights also highlighted challenges facing digital learning in Nigeria, including lack of devices, high internet costs, slow institutional adaptation, and resistance to new learning models, while proposing scalable solutions such as blended learning models and standardized digital infrastructure.

As Africa’s youth population grows, Asefon’s work illustrates how technology and innovation can expand access to education, bridging gaps between academic institutions and the continent’s digital economy.

His role in advancing e-learning positions him as a leading voice in shaping Africa’s digital education future.