AltSchool Africa is shifting its focus towards helping students progress from vocational diplomas to university degrees as co-founder Akintunde Sultan takes over as chief executive from Adewale Yusuf, who is stepping aside after five years leading the education technology company.
The leadership transition comes as the company seeks to deepen the value of its programmes beyond teaching digital skills, with plans to connect graduates to degree programmes offered by partner institutions in Nigeria and abroad.
Sultan’s new direction, reported by Brandspur Brand News, includes the launch of an AltSchool Degree Portal designed to help diploma holders continue their education through partner universities rather than requiring the company to establish its own university.
The incoming chief executive said the company had initially considered building a university but decided that a partnership model would offer a more practical route to expanding degree access.
From Coding Skills To Recognised Degree Pathways
AltSchool Africa launched in October 2021 under talent recruitment company TalentQL, with Yusuf, Sultan and Opeyemi Awoyemi among its co-founders. It was established to train junior engineering talent at a time when African technology companies were struggling to replace experienced engineers recruited by larger global firms.
The platform has since grown to more than 200,000 students and users, according to Sultan. The figure does not include additional learners reached through external partnerships and licensing arrangements.
Rather than concentrating primarily on increasing enrolment, Sultan said his priority was to improve the value students receive from the platform.
The company is working with institutions including the American Open University and Germany’s Tomorrow University to create routes through which students who complete AltSchool diploma programmes can progress to degree qualifications. Further partnerships are expected to be announced.
Sultan said more than 1,000 AltSchool students had already used their diplomas to continue degree studies elsewhere before the new partnerships were established.
He expects formal agreements to make the process easier, including through local pricing and discounted fees that could reduce the financial burden on African students applying to international institutions.
The strategy also reflects changing demands in the technology sector. With artificial intelligence increasingly capable of handling basic coding and other routine tasks, Sultan argues that digital skills training must offer learners value beyond learning how to write code.
Yusuf Steps Aside After Five Years
Yusuf said his decision to leave the chief executive position was partly driven by the difficulty of managing the company while travelling between Nigeria and the United States, where he is based.
He said the transition would allow him to spend more time with his family while continuing to support the company at leadership and board level.
During his tenure, AltSchool developed into an online first alternative education platform serving learners across Africa. Yusuf said he was encouraged by seeing students and alumni in different parts of the world.
He also identified limited government support as a challenge for businesses developing new education models in Nigeria.
In June 2026, the Federal Government announced a partnership with Coursera to train 36,000 young people in digital skills, including artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity and cloud computing. Sultan subsequently questioned why locally developed platforms such as AltSchool had not received similar support.
Yusuf advised his successor to remain open minded and find ways to navigate the challenges of operating in Nigeria, adding that Sultan could count on his support.
The transition places responsibility on Sultan to turn AltSchool’s existing reach into stronger educational outcomes. Its proposed degree pathways will be central to that effort, although the long term impact will depend on the quality, accessibility and recognition of the qualifications available through its partners.
