Gebeya Inc., the pan-African technology company behind Dala Studio, has entered Nigeria’s higher education sector through a partnership with Miva Open University aimed at equipping 25,000 students with artificial intelligence tools to build digital businesses.
The agreement will give all Miva students access to Dala Studio’s AI-powered creation platform, enabling them to develop applications, websites, games and automated agents without coding, as part of efforts to align university education with the demands of a fast-changing digital economy.
The initiative comes amid growing concern across Africa over the widening gap between academic learning and practical skills needed for employment and entrepreneurship. While university enrolment continues to rise, many graduates still lack the technical and business capabilities required to convert ideas into viable ventures.
Chief Executive Officer of Gebeya, Amadou Daffe, said the partnership would effectively place a startup-building engine in the hands of Nigerian students, enabling them to launch businesses without needing technical expertise or external funding.
“A student does not need a team, funding, or technical background,” Daffe said. “They can go from idea to a working business using one platform.”
The programme also includes a student ambassador scheme, where selected participants will lead workshops and drive adoption across campuses, expanding the platform’s reach beyond formal classroom learning.
Senior Manager for Projects and Partnerships at Miva Open University, Graham Ekoh, said the collaboration shifts learning from theory to practical creation.
“This partnership gives our students more than access; it gives them the ability to build,” he said. “A student can move from idea to product and from product to income all within one platform.”
Dala Studio, developed by Gebeya, functions as an AI-powered “creator engine” that allows users to build and monetise digital products using natural language prompts. It also supports local languages and integrates with African payment systems to reduce barriers for first-time entrepreneurs.
For Gebeya, the deal marks a strategic expansion into the education sector, positioning Dala Studio as both a creative tool and a training infrastructure for future digital entrepreneurs. For Miva Open University, it reflects a growing focus on skills-based learning to improve graduate employability in Africa’s evolving digital economy.
