Johannesburg - ADvTECH, which claims to beAfrica’s
largest private education provider, has bought a 51 percent stake in the
University of Africa.
In a statement issued on Monday, it says this follows the
International Finance Corporation’s investment in the group in 2016 to support
its expansion strategy. It did not disclose the value of the deal.
“This acquisition represents the group’s first tertiary
partnership outside of South Africa.
A private distance-learning university based in Zambia,
UoA – founded in 20016 – has a growing student base from across the continent
and an expanding portfolio of qualifications. The University has more than 2 000
students and offers 22 Bachelors, eight Masters and a Doctoral degree. The
staff complement of 145 academic and administrative support employees is
expected to grow rapidly as operations expand, ADvTECH explains.
“The transaction further consolidates ADvTECH’s
leadership position in the burgeoning private education sector in line with the
group’s continued growth and expansion strategy.”
Read also: ADvTech on track to higher earnings
It adds, with the addition of UoA to the ADvTECH stable,
its tertiary division will now comprise of 10 brands across 26 sites in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Peter Kriel, GM of The Independent Institute of Education
(The IIE), which is responsible for ensuring academic excellence at ADvTECH’s
tertiary brands, has been appointed to the UoA Council. The IIE will help
benchmark the UoA’s degree and diploma programmes against international best
practice, thus assist to ensure academic excellence. It will also advise on
future appointments of qualified and experienced lecturers and academics,
develop work-focused curricula created in conjunction with industry experts,
and assist with teaching and delivery methods that are constantly innovated in
line with global advancements.
ADvTECH is the holding company of The IIE, which has
brands including Vega School of Brand Leadership, Rosebank College, Varsity
College and The Design School of Southern Africa.
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