As Artificial Intelligence rapidly transforms industries across the globe, the founder of 02 Academy Nigeria, Ozone Mbanefo, has called for an urgent overhaul of Nigeria’s education system, warning that many institutions are still preparing students for jobs and realities that are fast disappearing.
Mbanefo, who also serves as Provost of the academy, said the rise of AI has fundamentally altered what it means to be valuable in today’s economy, making traditional models of education increasingly inadequate.
Speaking on the future of learning and workforce readiness, the education entrepreneur argued that the challenge facing Nigeria is no longer simply about bridging the gap between school and industry, but about preparing young people to function in a world where intelligent systems are becoming deeply integrated into everyday work and decision-making.
According to him, while educational institutions continue to evolve gradually, technologies such as Artificial Intelligence are advancing at an exponential rate, creating a dangerous mismatch between classroom learning and real-world demands.
“The question is no longer whether students are ready for the workforce,” Mbanefo said. “The real question is whether they are prepared to compete and collaborate with intelligent systems.”
He noted that AI has already begun reshaping industries by automating tasks once considered uniquely human, including writing, analysis, design, prediction and decision support.
In his view, this reality demands a complete shift in how schools define intelligence, learning and employability.
“There was a time when knowledge alone was power,” he stated. “Today, knowledge is everywhere. It is searchable, accessible and increasingly automated.
“If machines can execute tasks faster and at scale, then we must stop training students merely for repetition and routine execution.”
Mbanefo argued that the future belongs to individuals who can think critically, solve problems creatively, exercise sound judgment and adapt continuously to technological change.
He revealed that 02 Academy Abuja and Lagos are already redesigning their learning approach around these realities by focusing less on memorization and more on developing thinking frameworks that enable students to remain relevant regardless of changing tools and technologies.
According to him, the fear that AI will completely replace humans is exaggerated, but the danger of irrelevance is real.
“AI will not simply eliminate jobs. It will redefine them,” he said.
“The greatest risk is continuing to produce graduates who are unprepared to work alongside intelligent systems.”
Mbanefo stressed that AI literacy should no longer be treated as a specialized skill reserved for technology experts, insisting that understanding how AI works, where it can be applied and where its limitations exist should become a foundational aspect of modern education.
Beyond employability, he warned that Nigeria risks becoming perpetually dependent on foreign innovation if it fails to equip its young population with the capacity to build and innovate using AI technologies.
He said Africa’s biggest opportunity lies not in merely consuming technology developed elsewhere, but in using AI to solve local challenges across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, finance and education.
“Our goal must be to raise a generation that leverages AI to solve African problems at scale,” he added.
Mbanefo also challenged educational leaders to rethink their responsibilities in an era of rapid technological disruption, arguing that academic leadership must go beyond managing programmes to actively design relevance in real time.
He said institutions must begin asking difficult but necessary questions about whether students are truly being prepared for the future or simply being trained within outdated systems.
For him, the future of education must move away from rigid curricula and isolated classrooms toward flexible, technology-driven learning ecosystems capable of evolving alongside industry realities.
“Nigeria does not lack intelligence or ambition,” Mbanefo said. “What we urgently need is alignment between education, industry and technology.”
He maintained that the country’s ability to compete in the global digital economy will depend largely on how quickly its education sector adapts to the accelerating influence of Artificial Intelligence.
“The goal is no longer just to educate students,” he added. “It is to equip them to think independently, act intelligently and create value in a world where intelligence itself is no longer exclusively human.”
