Adewale Yusuf has stepped down as CEO of African edtech startup AltSchool Africa after five years at the helm. Co-founder Akintunde Sultan will take over the role with immediate effect.
Yusuf co-founded the company with Sultan and Opeyemi Awoyemi in 2021. Following his exit, Yusuf says he would remain involved in a leadership capacity while spending more time with his family in the US.
“It’s time for me to move away and actually support the team from maybe the director and leadership point. I just realised that it would be good for my co-founder to take over, and I can now spend more time with my family here in the US,” he said.
Under Yusuf’s leadership, AltSchool Africa has reached more than 200,000 users. However, Sultan says the company’s next phase will focus less on growing that number and more on delivering greater value to existing users.
One initiative expected to drive this shift is Degree, a programme through which AltSchool Africa partners with universities to offer degree pathways, similar to platforms such as edX.
The edtech currently offers courses through partnerships with the American Open University of Nigeria and Germany’s Tomorrow University, allowing students to pursue degrees in fields ranging from cybersecurity to information technology.
Degree builds on a longstanding ambition to bridge the gap between alternative education and formal university qualifications. In 2022, the company explored a partnership with Michael and Cecilia Ibru University.
With Sultan now leading the company, the focus will be on strengthening the value of its offerings as it expands its education model beyond skills training.