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Sim Shagaya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sim Shagaya (born Simdul Shagaya) is a Nigerian engineer, tech entrepreneur and founder of e-commerce website Konga.com, edtech platform uLesson and Miva Open University.[1][2][3][4]

Background and education

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Shagaya was born in Lagos, Nigeria on April 2, 1975, and is a native of Plateau State, with his roots among the Tarok people of the state. He is the son of John Nanzip Shagaya who served as a Brigadier general in the Nigerian Army, before becoming a federal legislator in the Nigerian Senate.[5][6]

Sim Shagaya started his education at the Nigerian Military School in Zaria, after which he served briefly in the Nigerian Army. He later moved to the United States to study for a bachelor of science in electrical engineering at George Washington University. He also earned a masters of engineering degree from Dartmouth College in 1999, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2003.[7][8][9][10]

Career

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Shagaya started his professional career with a stint in investment banking at Rand Merchant Bank in South Africa before joining Google as Head of Operations for Africa.[11][12] He left that role in November 2005 to start his first company E-Motion Outdoor Advertising, which was later acquired by Seyi Tinubu's Loatsad Promomedia in 2019.[5][13]

After launching DealDey, a now-defunct daily deals website in 2011, Shagaya founded Konga as a Nigerian digital commerce and retailing portal in July 2012.[4][14][15][6]

Shagaya then ventured into educational technology in 2019, starting uLesson as an online learning platform for primary and secondary school students.[16] In March 2023, he founded Miva Open University as the first fully online, degree-awarding private university in Nigeria.[17][18][19]

References

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  1. Adeleke, David (2016-01-27). "Sim Shagaya steps down as Konga CEO, joins Board of Directors". TechCabal. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  2. Chen, Adeline. Taking remote learning from Nigeria to the world (Television production). CNN. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  3. Bright, Jake (2019-11-26). "Sim Shagaya's uLesson African edtech startup raises $3.1M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  4. 1 2 Elumelu, Tony (2014-11-13). "The rise of Africapitalism". The Economist.
  5. 1 2 Olasupo, Fathia (2026-01-06). "How Sim Shagaya Built Konga Into One of Africa's Leading E‑Commerce Platforms". The African Exponent. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  6. 1 2 "Founders: Sim Shagaya". The Disrupting Africa Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  7. Daniel, Vivian (2026-02-11). "Sim Shagaya: The Architect of African Tech and EdTech Innovation". SundiataPost. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  8. "In conversation with Sim Shagaya on Transforming Commerce and Education in Africa". King's Entrepreneurship Lab. King's College Cambridge. 2026-07-07. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  9. "In the News". Dartmouth Engineering. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  10. Okafor, Obidike (2025-10-07). "Triumph Against Odds: Sim Shagaya on resilience, risk and Nigeria's next frontier". Businessday NG. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  11. Gundan, Farai (2015-01-07). "Sim Shagaya: On Building The Next Big Thing, Konga, Africa's Version Of Alibaba - Part One". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  12. Sivowaku, Abiodun (2026-06-22). "Sim Shagaya: Entrepreneur Transforming Commerce, Education In Africa". Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  13. Mátùlúkò, Múyìwá (2019-11-17). "Konga founder Sim Shagaya's earliest company, E-Motion Advertising acquired by Seyi Tinubu's Loatsad Promomedia". Techpoint Africa. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  14. Bankole, Mubarak (2026-06-11). "The 9 companies Sim Shagaya built: From early failures to rewriting Nigeria's tech rules". Technext. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  15. "DealDey". Liners. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  16. Akiyode-Lawanson, Jumoke (2020-03-17). "Firm launches uLesson learning app for African students". Businessday NG. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  17. Nwokoma, Chimgozirim (2023-05-16). "Miva Open University gets online university licence". Techpoint Africa. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  18. Ogwo, Charles (2024-04-22). "Nigeria's first private open university launches MBA programme". Businessday NG. Retrieved 2026-09-18.
  19. Akinyemi, Muhammed (2023-12-01). "How uLesson founded Miva, Nigeria's first online open university". TechCabal. Retrieved 2026-09-18.