Two universities focused on nurturing future global leaders are teaming up to meet a growing demand for one of the fastest-growing fields in Africa: business analytics. WPI, a world leader in project-based, purpose-driven global education, research, and outreach has announced a new partnership with the emerging Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM). Beginning in fall 2023, The WPI Business School will offer its Master’s in Business Analytics, alongside NUTM’s Professional Certification in Design Thinking Leadership Principles. The Business Analytics courses will be offered online to students in Nigeria where there is strong workforce need to continue to catalyze the region’s rise as a technology and entrepreneurial hub.
“Business analytics is a necessary competency for any organization that wants to make actionable, data-driven business decisions,” says Rev. Debora Jackson, Dean of The WPI Business School. “As a leading STEM-based Business School, our Master’s in Business Analytics provides the perfect blend of business, technology, and project-based learning taught by distinguished faculty who will prepare learners for the analytics-based positions needed by companies wanting to keep a competitive edge. When combined with the NUTM certificate in leadership, Nigerian companies will be positioned for even greater success. And more broadly, we are promoting important collaborations between the United States and Africa.”
“The core of NUTM's institutional vision is to equip scholars with the skills and outlook required to be globally competitive. Our overarching goal is for our students to achieve extraordinary success, start businesses, and become the go-to resource for top talents in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large,” says Babs Omotowa, Founding President, NUTM. "We are excited to execute a compelling vision of introducing world-class faculty to students in Nigeria to build the next generation of innovative and entrepreneurial leaders and improve retention of African talents within the continent.”
Numerous organizations, including the World Economic Forum, report skilled data analysts are some of the most sought-after professionals in the world. A focus on business analytics—bringing together the disciplines of management, data science, business intelligence, machine learning, statistical analysis, and computing—further equips individuals and groups with insights that improve efficiency and encourage optimized processes through data-driven decisions. The Business Analytics master’s degree is specifically designed to upskill the Nigerian workforce, creating future business leaders who want to be fully equipped to start or advance their careers.
In courses led by world-class WPI Business School faculty, who are scholars and industry leaders, students will use state-of-the-art business analytics tools and techniques to think and act entrepreneurially, organize and draw insights from complex data, and use analytics to inform business strategies while working on real-world projects.
WPI and NUTM will be working with business and industry partners in Africa to recruit the first cohort of students with the goal of beginning classes in September 2023. Interested organizations and prospective students may learn more, request information, and begin applying online: www.wpi.edu/+nutm
