Renowned international education consultancy, UNIPASS, has formally commenced operations in Nigeria, unveiling plans to expand access to quality higher education for young Nigerians seeking to study abroad and to attract foreign students into the country.
Speaking at the official launch of UNIPASS Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, its Chief Executive Officer, Alvin Atsegwasi, said the organisation is committed to creating transparent, accountable pathways for students seeking education abroad while also supporting vulnerable groups through scholarship programmes.
“We also support scholarship programmes targeted at critical communities. Scholarship for people with disabilities,” Atsegwasi said, noting his over ten years of experience in the United Kingdom.
He urged Nigerian youths who abroad to contribute to national development. “At UNIPASS, we don’t only support Nigerians going abroad. We also promote opportunities for foreigners to come and study here in Nigeria,” he added.
According to him, partnerships with Nigerian education institution like the Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, are central to this mission. “We are proud to be part of that. We are encouraging foreigners to come back to Nigeria,” he said.
Atsegwasi explained that the UNIPASS model helps eliminate risks linked to unregulated study programmes and migration challenges, stressing that the organisation would work closely with government and stakeholders to improve educational outcomes for Nigerian youths.
“UNIPASS is here to change that story. We will work hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and all stakeholders to create the same structured and transparent pathway for our youth,” he said. “Our promise to parents, communities and our dear Nigeria is very simple: we will get you there.”
Co-founder of UNIPASS Limited, Sanpreet Sehmi, said the organisation’s mission is built on ensuring equal access to quality education for all students, regardless of academic performance.
“Potential lives everywhere, and opportunity should live everywhere too,” Sehmi said. She announced a major milestone: a new partnership with the Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management in Lagos, the organisation’s first institutional collaboration in Africa.
“It proves that a world-class international standard is not something students must travel across oceans to find. It is something we can build, nurture and proudly offer right here,” she noted.
On her part, Executive Director of UNIPASS, Maureen Mutsiya described the new Abuja office as “a passport to global education” for Nigerian students.
“This office is more than a physical space. It is a commitment to work with you, step by step, as you pursue education beyond borders,” she said.
Mutsiya added that more than 1,200 students have benefitted from UNIPASS guidance in the past two years across destinations including Canada, Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Ireland and Germany.
“We know that trying to study abroad can feel overwhelming… That’s where UNIPASS comes in, and we turn confusion into confidence,” she said.
The launch event drew a large audience and featured goodwill messages from the Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding, Dr. Yetunde Adeniji, as well as Isaac Balami, Chief Executive Officer of the Isaac Balami Foundation and Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, among other dignitaries.
