An international education consultancy, UNIPASS, has announced plans to expand access to quality higher education for young Nigerians seeking to study abroad while also attracting foreign students into the country.
Speaking at the official launch of UNIPASS Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer Alvin Atsegwasi said the organisation is committed to creating transparent and accountable pathways for students pursuing international education and supporting vulnerable groups through targeted scholarship initiatives.
“We also support scholarship programmes targeted at critical communities scholarship for people with disabilities,” Atsegwasi said, drawing from his experience of over a decade in the United Kingdom.
He encouraged Nigerian youths abroad to contribute to national development, adding that UNIPASS is equally dedicated to promoting opportunities for foreigners to study in Nigeria. According to him, partnerships with local institutions, including the Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, are central to this drive. “We are encouraging foreigners to come back to Nigeria,” he said.
Atsegwasi noted that the UNIPASS model aims to reduce risks associated with unregulated study programmes and migration processes. He stressed that the organisation will collaborate closely with the government and key stakeholders to enhance educational outcomes for Nigerian youths.
“UNIPASS is here to change that story. We will work hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and all stakeholders to create the same structured and transparent pathway for our youth,” he said. “Our promise to parents, communities and our dear Nigeria is very simple: we will get you there.”
Co-founder of UNIPASS Limited, Sanpreet Sehmi, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to ensuring equal access to high-quality education for all students, regardless of academic performance. She also announced a milestone partnership with the Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management in Lagos the organisation’s first institutional collaboration in Africa.
“It proves that a world-class international standard is not something students must travel across oceans to find. It is something we can build, nurture and proudly offer right here,” Sehmi said.
Executive Director Maureen Mutsiya described the newly opened Abuja office as “a passport to global education” for Nigerian students. She said more than 1,200 students have benefitted from UNIPASS guidance over the past two years across destinations such as Canada, Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Ireland and Germany.
“We know that trying to study abroad can feel overwhelming… That’s where UNIPASS comes in, and we turn confusion into confidence,” she added.
The launch event drew a large audience and featured goodwill messages from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding, Dr. Yetunde Adeniji; Isaac Balami, Chief Executive Officer of the Isaac Balami Foundation and Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management; as well as other dignitaries.
