The American Open University (A-Global) has opened a Skill and Liaison Centre in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, to expand access to technology training and flexible higher education, while announcing tuition scholarships of up to 75 per cent for residents of the ancient town.
The centre, located in the High School Area of Ogbomoso, was formally inaugurated on Saturday, October 10, 2026, with the theme, “Repositioning Ogbomoso for the Global Economy.”
The initiative, the university’s first community skill and liaison centre, is designed to provide information, admission inquiries, learner support and technology skills training for residents of Ogbomoso and neighbouring communities.
The Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, Orumogege III, was represented at the event by the Abese of Ogbomosoland, High Chief Kasali Oladipupo, who performed the symbolic cutting of the tape.
Oladipupo said the initiative aligned with the monarch’s 25-year development agenda for Ogbomoso, particularly its emphasis on education and economic development.
He noted that since the monarch’s ascension to the throne, Ogbomoso had witnessed renewed attention to development across seven priority areas.
According to him, the Soun had encouraged the establishment of the centre to ensure that young people in the community were not left behind in the emerging global economy.
He added that the monarch had, at the recent Ogbomoso Education Summit, pledged to strengthen the participation of youths in the global economy, describing the new centre as a practical expression of that commitment.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Adeolu Afolabi of the Department of Cybersecurity, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), described the centre as a welcome development capable of advancing Ogbomoso’s educational and technological ambitions.
Afolabi said the initiative reflected the vision of the Soun’s Ogbomoso Education Development Plan, particularly its objective of leveraging technology and global opportunities to improve access to tertiary education.
He identified the town’s population, agricultural potential, trading activities, favourable climate and educational institutions as advantages that could help position it for greater participation in the global economy.
He said the establishment of A-Global in Ogbomoso would strengthen access to technology-driven education, encourage collaboration and improve the community’s capacity to develop skills relevant to local and international opportunities.
Speaking at the event, the university’s Chancellor, Prof. David Seyi Akanbi, said the institution’s journey began 11 years ago and culminated in the National Universities Commission’s grant of a provisional operating licence in 2025.
He explained that the Ogbomoso centre would serve as a community contact point for prospective and existing students, while also providing technology skills training.
Akanbi said rapid technological advancement and automation had increased the demand for workers with advanced technical skills and the ability to adapt to changing employment opportunities.
He noted that social media, e-commerce platforms and mobile applications were reshaping economic activities, making it necessary for education systems to prepare learners for the digital economy.
“This is the reason American Open University exists. Our mission is to develop an employable, competitive and globally relevant workforce for the digital economy,” he said.
The chancellor added that the university worked with industry partners and promoted applied learning, competency assessment and professional development to equip students with practical, demonstrable skills.
As part of efforts to make its programmes more accessible, the university announced the Ogbomoso Scholarship Scheme, offering a 75 per cent tuition reduction for residents admitted into undergraduate programmes and a 60 per cent reduction for postgraduate programmes.
Under the arrangement, candidates are required to apply for admission through the university’s regular process. Successful applicants can then apply for the scholarship, which is subsequently reflected in their student portals to reduce tuition costs.
The university offers undergraduate programmes in Data Science, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Business Administration, Public Administration, Entrepreneurship and Business Information Technology.
Its postgraduate offerings include the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Information Technology (MIT) and Master of Public Administration (MPA).
Through The EDGE Institute, its training arm, the institution also provides professional certificate programmes in Cybersecurity, Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, eLearning Development, Artificial Intelligence Development and Deployment, and Agile Project Management.
American Open University, headquartered in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with campuses in Ibadan and Abeokuta, offers flexible online, on-campus and hybrid learning opportunities.
The institution said its Ogbomoso centre represented a strategic step towards expanding community-based technology training and preparing more residents to participate in the opportunities presented by the digital economy.
