UNICAF

UNICAF
Unicaf Logo
Unicaf Headquarters in Larnaca
Established 2012
Founder Dr Nicos Nicolaou
Headquarters Larnaca, Cyprus
Staff
500+
Website unicaf.org

Founded in 2012, (UNICAF; /ˈjuːnᵻkɑːf/) is an online platform in sub-Saharan Africa that is dedicated to making higher education of international standard accessible to African professionals and young school leavers.

History

UNICAF was founded in 2012,[1] with its name reflecting its origins, having initially evolved from the University of Nicosia, the largest, independent tertiary education institution in Cyprus. While initially focusing solely on Africa, it has been expanding[1] its range to offer scholarships to students worldwide, provided they meet certain eligibility criteria. UNICAF has established a number of branch campuses and information centres in Africa, such as in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Uganda, Somalia, Zambia and Malawi. Already more than 12,000 have taken advantage of the UNICAF scholarships and registered to one of the partnership programmes. The number of students is estimated to increase to 60,000 by the year 2020.[2] The learning centres are set up to include digital libraries, computer labs, internet, generators and make students less prone to the studying in areas with partially inadequate infrastructures.[3]

“While education in Africa is rising and demand for skilled people also ascends, there are serious challenges to Africans reaching quality Higher Education (HE) levels that are recognised by the world's employers. The gap in the market needs to be addressed now... if the 2040 African labour force is to have global value.”[4]

Eligibility requirements

Applicants have to meet the general eligibility requirements for the award of a scholarship and additionally specific academic qualifications must be met in order to qualify for the relevant degree programmes.[5]

Programmes offered

Currently, UNICAF offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in a number of areas such as business, education, psychology and LLM Laws.[6]

Unicaf University

Unicaf University Campus in Lilongwe, Malawi

UNICAF has a physical presence in nine African countries and a number of branch campuses such as the one in Malawi and Zambia[7][8] to service south-eastern Africa. The campuses aim to provide a number of student services and face-to-face tutorials to support the online delivery model. Although founded by UNICAF, Unicaf University is treated as a partner university[7] with scholarships provided for students taking the courses, whether online or in the form of blended learning. According to Dr Kevin Andrews, Vice-Chancellor,[7] Unicaf University is currently in the process of opening additional campuses in several locations in Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 News, The PIE. "International Education News l The PIE News l African tertiary education can't meet demand".
  2. ↑ "'Higher education needs to be more affordable for Africa to grow' - Vanguard News". 3 November 2016.
  3. ↑ https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/african-online-market-interests-uk-universities-due-brexit
  4. ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/montymunford/2016/11/25/unicaf-brings-western-university-degrees-to-africans-for-20-of-price/2/#6c5fddb55398
  5. ↑ https://www.unicaf.org/eligibility/
  6. ↑ "Programmes offered - UNICAF - Scholarships Schemes". 3 February 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "New Branch Campus by Unicaf University - IT News Africa – Africa's Technology News Leader".
  8. ↑ "Serious skills, education challenges for growing African labour force met by innovative higher education e-learning solution - Vanguard News". 5 October 2016.

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