In Lagos, it’s normal to find most tech startups and programmes taking place in prominent tech hubs like Ikeja, Yaba and Lekki but FiguresHub, an edtech residency program, bucked the trend by setting up shop in Badagry, a town off the beaten path.
Founded by Wale Ketiku in 2022, FiguresHub is on a mission to train 10 million Nigerians in digital skills, challenging the traditional notion that tech education is solely confined to urban centres.
Ketiku set up FiguresHub in Badagry, a town located 66 kilometres away from Yaba, to bring technology closer to underserved communities. A complete departure from other tech training institutes like Semicolon and Tangerine, located in the heart of Yaba—touted as Nigeria’s centre of tech civilisation.
“Many young people in Badagry believe they need to go to Yaba or Lagos Island to learn tech,” said Mausi Avosegamu, Curriculum Manager for K-Study, a FiguresHub subsidiary focused on children’s tech development. “FiguresHub aims to change that perception.”
The Hub offers a variety of tech-based training programs, including in-house residencies, weekend classes, and online courses. Its curriculum covers a wide range of digital skills, from cybersecurity and backend engineering to artificial intelligence and data analytics.
With more than half of Nigeria’s population lacking digital skills; FiguresHub hopes to contribute to the nation’s goal of attaining 95% digital literacy by 2030.
One of FiguresHub’s most ambitious goals is to host 40 people in a tech residency on its Badagry campus for nine months. The programme will include six months of intensive training and three months of internship placements. “We want to provide our students with practical experience and help them secure jobs in the tech industry,” said Adefolaji David, Admin Manager for FiguresHub.
FiguresHub’s Badagry campus boasts modern facilities—32 rooms equipped to house students on campus in a three-storey building. Each of the rooms are self-contained flats with provision for beds, tables and chairs, wardrobes and a bathtub. Ten of the rooms have been fully furnished and dedicated to the staff on the ground floor. The Badagry campus has a parking space, spare lands (for constructing more hostels), two entrances—a front and back door entrance, a relaxation area and a board room where the in-house staff work.
The hub has also invested in an in-house chef, security, high-speed internet and a generator to ensure uninterrupted access to technology.
The company built its learning management system (LMS) where its 163 active students can take courses in cybersecurity, backend and frontend engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Data analytics, cloud engineering, video editing and project management. It also has intentions to run an MBA program separately.
Another hub for children
In 2023, the hub created a subsidiary to train children in tech called K-Study. K-Study is tailored to train children in Robotics, Mathematics, coding, English and most recently added French to its curriculum. The programme, with a blend of Nigerian and Canadian curriculum, caters to African children and children of immigrants in the diaspora with Canada as one of its key markets.
K-Study not only helps to train the children in tech but serves as an avenue to introduce moral instruction for diaspora children.
“We help them with assignments. We follow them up so there is a difference in their learning,” Avosegamu said. “Some parents request we speak indigenous languages to them or teach them some things about their cultures.”
Unlike the core tech programmes which are pre-recorded; the children’s classes are live classes with teachers actively tutoring the children, sometimes with their parents in the background. The children’s learning cadres are divided into three. Rookies (ages 5-9) pay $80 monthly, Ascendants (ages 10-13) pay $100 monthly, and Veterans (ages 14-17) pay $120 monthly.
The target audience for FiguresHub core tech programs is university aspirants, recent graduates or professionals who are seeking to pivot to tech careers. FiguresHub programmes which consist of 22 modules expected to run for 22 weeks, cost ₦150,000 ($91.52). Students are restricted to one module per week to allow them to assimilate, according to Vincent Didanda, the Chief Operating Officer, FiguresHub.
“Some of the professionals that take the course just need the certificate and if left unmonitored, they can rush the courses without gaining anything. We want to offer certificates of pride,” Didanda added.
Getting students to pay and dealing with fundraising
A persistent challenge facing the edtech sector, including FigureHub, is securing adequate funding and student enrollment. In 2023, the edtech sector in Africa accounted for only 1.4% of total venture capital funding allocated to African startups. This limited access to capital has made it particularly difficult for FigureHub to secure seed funding for its operations.
This is why the highest-paying demographic are professionals who hope to pivot to tech careers and children under the K-Study program.
Not many students can pay the amounts stipulated, especially the ₦150,000 for adult tech training programs. At times, the monies are paid installmentally with students given reminders when they are near defaulting.
“It is hard to make Nigerians take courses especially when you have lots of competitors including ALX,” Didanda said. “Half the time, many students do not have the funding and the hub filters for the best student on full or partial scholarships based on a test conducted for them.”
Notably, FiguresHub does not operate competitor’s AltSchool Income sharing model, which could make it easier to onboard students. Income-sharing models require students to commit to paying a percentage of their future income to cover the cost of their education, rather than paying upfront tuition fees.
The hub has relied solely on social media marketing and referrals to get more people to take the courses. Part of this experiment had proven successful, attracting audiences across Africa and Europe.
“In the early days, we spent lots of money and hired Twitter influencers— one of them was Sir Dickson, to help with publicity and got some others to sponsor courses,” Didanda said.
FigureHub strengthens parental involvement by regularly sharing children’s progress reports. This transparent approach has proven effective in fostering word-of-mouth marketing. A notable example is a Canadian parent who, impressed by the program’s results, convinced 10 other families to enrol their children.
The quality of tutors is also an important factor in student enrollment and completion. FigureHub employs a rigorous selection process for its online tutors, including monitoring, evaluation, and in-person visits to assess their commitment. Candidates are required to have at least five years of experience in technology and education. According to Didanda, FigureHub currently boasts a team of over 20 qualified tutors.
The company has had to rely on a combination of self-funding and limited external investment. Other sources of funding are obtained by outsourcing the company’s tech team to bring in more funds
Despite difficulties with raising adequate funding Didanda’s joy as the head of operations is having over 150 students enrolled on the LMS. “It was once under eight students before,” he gleefully remarked.
“Our vision is to empower 10 million learners globally through FiguresHub, regardless of their location or financial means,” Didanda said.
“We want to empower every child with the ability to use a computer effectively, not just for entertainment.”
