New Global Standard for Professional Qualifications to Launch in Africa, Challenging Traditional University Models

A groundbreaking shift in higher education is set to be unveiled in Lagos on October 3, 2025, as Omniversity Imperial College, USA, introduces the world’s first framework to award ISO-benchmarked qualifications based entirely on professional experience and proven competence. This move directly challenges traditional academic pathways and promises to unlock the value of expertise for millions of seasoned professionals across Africa.

In a statement made available to THISDAY, it was noted that the initiative will be formally launched at a high-level African Education Roundtable where a select cohort of distinguished professionals will be conferred with practice-based Doctorates, Fellowships, and Professorships. This landmark event signals a pivotal moment for recognizing the vast, often uncredentialed, expertise within the continent’s workforce.

The statement also noted that at the heart of this innovation is Omniversity’s unique integration of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) and Competency-Based Evaluations (CBE) within a management system certified to ISO 21001:2018 (Educational Organizations). This fusion creates a transparent and rigorous pathway for professionals to convert their real-world knowledge into globally respected qualifications.

Omniversity’s Director of Strategic Engagement, Dr. Tola Sokoya, noted:”We are fundamentally redefining the relationship between work and learning. This isn’t just an alternative to a traditional degree; it is a superior validation of demonstrated mastery. By becoming the world’s first university to integrate ISO Certification, APEL, and CBE into a unified qualification framework, we are offering a new gold standard for professional recognition that is fit for the 21st-century economy.”

It was revealed that industry leaders, academics, and policymakers will gather at the De Rembrandt Hotel and Suites in Ikeja, Lagos, to address this paradigm shift. The roundtable will be guided by the theme, “Recognizing Competence: Practice-based qualifications, APEL, and ISO-Certified Credentials as Tools for African Educational and Economic Revamp.”

It averred that the discussion will focus on how this model can accelerate career progression, support talent retention, and provide African industries with a reliable benchmark for leadership and expertise.
The President of the Omniversity International Council, Professor Tokunbo Akeredolu-Ale, emphasized the broader vision for the continent. “Africa’s greatest resource is its human capital. For too long, the immense expertise of its professionals has been undervalued by legacy academic systems,” said Professor Akeredolu-Ale. “Our model provides a robust, internationally benchmarked pathway to certify competence where it truly matters—in practice. This is about empowering a generation of African leaders and innovators to drive the continent’s economic future with the credentials they have rightfully earned.”