uLesson names Iheanyi Akwitti CEO as Sim Shagaya transitions to Executive Chairman role

Sim Shagaya, founder of the uLesson Group, the Nigerian edtech company behind uLesson and Miva Open University, will step down as CEO after eight years and transition to the role of Executive Chairman.

Iheanyi Akwitti, Group Chief Academic Officer and Registrar, will assume the role of CEO-Designate from June 2026 and officially take over as Group CEO on  January 1, 2027, the company said in a statement on Monday. 

The transition comes a month after Shagaya announced the launch of Myka, his newly founded insurance startup. He will remain uLesson’s Group CEO throughout the transition period, working closely with Akwitti across operational, board, governance, investor, partner, and external stakeholder matters.

“It feels right that this chapter ends here, and that Iheanyi Akwitti is the person carrying us forward,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing the leadership change. 

Akwitti joined uLesson Group in 2022 as Senior Vice President, Academics and Curriculum, where he helped shape the company’s academic direction as it expanded beyond K-12 learning—education for children from kindergarten through twelfth grade, the company said. 

He later became Group Chief Academic Officer and Registrar, leading academic, regulatory, accreditation, and institutional initiatives tied to the launch of Miva Open University in 2023. Before joining uLesson, Akwitti served as Principal at Supreme Education Foundation Schools, where he oversaw curriculum development and academic operations.

“Iheanyi has been at the centre of some of the most consequential work we have done as a Group,” Shagaya said. “He has helped build the academic and institutional foundations that will carry us into our next phase. I am confident that under his leadership, the uLesson Group will continue to expand its impact and build even stronger institutions for African learners.” 

As CEO, Akwitti will oversee the group’s academic, operational, and institutional growth strategy as uLesson deepens its push into higher education and expands its education offerings across Africa.

“It is a great honour to be entrusted with this responsibility,” he said. “I am grateful to Sim for his trust and leadership, and I look forward to working with our teams to build on the strong foundation already laid.”

Shagaya founded uLesson in 2019 after previously launching e-commerce company Konga. Under his leadership, uLesson evolved from a K-12 learning app into a broader education group for learners across different academic stages, the company said. As Executive Chairman, he will continue to support the Group’s long-term strategy and vision for education in Africa.