Edtech in Naija, 2026: from JAMB prep to vocational

If you opened a JAMB prep app in 2020, you saw the future. Now, in 2026, that future looks different. The market didn't die—it matured, fractured, and moved. JAMB still matters. But the real money and impact in Nigerian edtech is no longer just about getting students through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. It's about what comes after, and increasingly, what comes instead.

This shift matters because Nigeria's education crisis isn't really about university entrance. It's about jobs. Sixty percent of school leavers who don't make it to university, or who graduate without employable skills, end up in precarious work or unemployment. The edtech startups winning in 2026 aren't pretending that's a JAMB problem. They're building for vocational training, apprenticeships, skill certification, and the informal economy where most Nigerians actually work. This article walks you through the landscape: where the money is, what's working, who's building it, and how to think about edtech as a founder in this moment.

The JAMB app era is over. Here's what killed it.

In 2018 and 2019, JAMB prep was a gold rush. Thousands of students, high-intent users, clear success metric (exam score), and parents willing to pay. Apps like Studyportal, ExamPlus, and dozens of others raised money, hit millions of downloads, and then—most of them stopped growing or disappeared.

The reasons are worth understanding because they explain why the market shifted:

1. The exam itself changed. JAMB moved from paper to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in 2009, but the real disruption came when the exam body started releasing official practice materials and charging students directly through their own portal. Why pay for a third-party app when JAMB's own content is free or cheaper?

2. Saturation and commoditisation. By 2022, there were hundreds of JAMB prep apps. They all offered the same past questions, the same video explanations, the same mock tests. Differentiation became impossible. Users had no reason to stay loyal or upgrade.

3. Seasonal demand. JAMB prep is a once-a-year event for most students. After the exam, churn is immediate and almost total. Retention metrics were brutal. Founders realised that building a sustainable business on an annual spike is hard.

4. CBN regulations and payment friction. Between 2020 and 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria's directives on fintech and mobile money created friction for small edtech companies trying to collect fees. Many users preferred free content or didn't have reliable payment methods. Subscription models didn't work at scale.

Some JAMB apps survived by pivoting. Others died quietly. The ones that stayed in the space adapted: they moved upmarket (targeting private school students and international exam prep), went B2B (selling to schools), or diversified into other exam prep (WAEC, NECO, UTME).

But the real energy in Nigerian edtech moved elsewhere.

Where the energy moved: vocational, skills, and real jobs

Start with the numbers. Nigeria has roughly 40 million people aged 15-24. Only about 3 million sit JAMB each year. Of those, roughly 1.5 million gain admission to universities. That means 38.5 million young Nigerians are not in the JAMB pipeline. Some are in secondary school, but many are out of school, in apprenticeships, in informal work, or in vocational training.

That's the market. And edtech founders noticed.

The shift is visible in what's being built. Instead of mock exams, founders are building:

• Vocational certification platforms: Apps that teach plumbing, electrical work, welding, tailoring, and hairdressing with video, quizzes, and certification. Users pay ₦2,000–₦15,000 per course. Completion rates are higher because the ROI is direct: finish the course, get certified, find work or charge more.

• Apprenticeship marketplaces: Platforms connecting young people to master craftspeople and small businesses for paid apprenticeships. The business model is commission on placements or subscription for employers.

• Skills-for-jobs platforms: Apps teaching digital skills (design, coding, copywriting, social media management) with a focus on gig work and remote jobs. These have higher pricing power because users can see immediate income.

• Employer-sponsored training: Companies like Paystack, Flutterwave, and Moniepoint are increasingly running internal training programs. Edtech platforms are partnering with them to scale.

• Offline-first learning: Recognising that not all of Nigeria has reliable internet, some startups are building apps that work offline, with content downloaded in chunks, or hybrid models combining physical centres with digital content.

In our experience at LaunchPad, the founders winning in this space share traits: they've worked in the sectors they're building for (they know the pain), they're not chasing venture capital as the first move (many bootstrap or take small pre-seed from angels), and they measure success by employment outcomes, not app downloads.

The business models that actually work

JAMB prep apps mostly tried freemium models: free content with premium features. That worked for user acquisition but failed at monetisation. Vocational edtech is experimenting with different models, and some are sticking.

The most sustainable model we're seeing is outcome-based: low or no upfront cost, but the platform takes a cut when the user gets employed, certified, or lands a gig. This requires data infrastructure (tracking outcomes), payment integration (Paystack, Flutterwave), and trust. But it works because risk is shared.

Who's building this, and how they're doing it

The vocational edtech space in Nigeria is still fragmented. There's no clear market leader. But there are founders and teams making real moves.

Some are focused on specific trades. Others are horizontal platforms trying to cover multiple skills. Some started in one city (Yaba, Lekki, Kano) and are expanding. Others are fully remote and digital from day one.

What's interesting is that many of the successful ones aren't VC-funded startups in the traditional sense. They're founder-led, bootstrapped or angel-backed, and they're profitable or close to it. They're not chasing hockey-stick growth. They're chasing unit economics and retention.

For example, /launch/uni is building in the education space with a different angle—worth watching to see how they're thinking about the market. And founders like /maker/kemi are experimenting with models that blend online and offline, global and local.

The pattern is: start small, prove the model in one city or one skill, then expand. Get outcomes data early. Build payment integration properly (don't hack it). Partner with employers or training organisations to access users and validate demand.

The role of regulation and infrastructure

Nigerian edtech doesn't exist in a vacuum. Three things matter:

1. NDPR and data privacy. The National Data Protection Regulation came into force in 2024. Edtech platforms collecting student data, employment history, or payment information need to comply. This is a cost, but it's also a moat: smaller competitors often ignore it, creating liability. Serious founders build compliance in from the start.

2. Payment infrastructure. Paystack, Flutterwave, and Moniepoint have made it easier to collect money online, but friction still exists. USSD payments, bank transfers, and mobile money (especially in Northern Nigeria) are still common. Successful edtech platforms support multiple payment methods.

3. Recognition and certification. A certificate from an app means nothing if employers don't recognise it. Some platforms are partnering with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) or with industry bodies to validate their certifications. This is slow but critical for vocational training.

How the ecosystem is supporting edtech founders

The broader Nigerian startup ecosystem is maturing. As covered in /resources/shipping-from-naija-2026, the infrastructure for building and shipping products has improved. This matters for edtech because:

• Talent is available: Developers, designers, and product managers in Lagos, Abuja, and increasingly Kano and Port Harcourt can be hired. Costs are lower than Western markets, and quality is high.

• Capital is available, but selective: Venture capital for edtech in Nigeria is not abundant, but it exists. Investors are looking for founders with domain expertise, traction, and a path to profitability. Grants and accelerators (like some of the programmes run by development finance institutions) are also available.

• Community and peer learning: Founders' communities, WhatsApp groups, and informal networks mean that founders can learn from each other's mistakes. The edtech space is small enough that founders talk to each other.

• Regulatory clarity is improving: The CBN, FIRS, and other bodies are becoming clearer about what's required. This reduces uncertainty for founders.

If you're starting an edtech company in Nigeria in 2026, you're not starting from zero. But you're also not in a space with clear winners. That's the opportunity.

Challenges that haven't gone away

Edtech in Nigeria is not a solved problem. Real challenges remain:

Internet access and affordability. About 40% of Nigerians have internet access, but it's expensive and unreliable in many areas. Edtech platforms that assume always-on connectivity will miss most of the market. Offline-first design is not optional; it's essential.

Payment and trust. Many Nigerians are still wary of paying for digital services. Building trust takes time. Refund policies, testimonials, and word-of-mouth matter more than ads.

Completion rates. Just because someone downloads an app doesn't mean they'll finish a course. Vocational edtech has higher completion rates than JAMB prep (because the ROI is clearer), but it's still a challenge. Retention and engagement mechanics matter.

Outcomes tracking. If your business model depends on employment outcomes, you need data. But tracking whether a user got a job is hard. Some platforms use surveys, some use employer partnerships, some use proxy metrics (like whether users are active on job boards). None are perfect.

Competition from free content. YouTube, free blogs, and informal knowledge-sharing are strong competitors. Edtech platforms need to offer something genuinely better: structure, certification, community, or job placement.

What's next: the 2026 outlook

By the end of 2026, I expect to see:

1. Consolidation: Some vocational edtech platforms will merge or be acquired. The market is crowded, and unit economics matter. Winners will emerge, but not many.

2. Employer partnerships: More edtech platforms will partner directly with large employers (banks, tech companies, e-commerce platforms) to train their employees or contractors. B2B will grow.

3. Certification standards: Industry bodies will push for standardised certifications. This will help edtech platforms and hurt ones that issue meaningless certificates.

4. Offline expansion: Successful digital platforms will open physical learning centres in tier-2 cities. The hybrid model will become standard.

5. International expansion: Some Nigerian edtech platforms will expand to other African countries, especially West Africa. The model that works in Lagos might work in Accra or Dakar.

For founders, the lesson is clear: the easy money in edtech (JAMB prep) is gone. The real opportunity is in building for jobs, skills, and outcomes. It's harder, but it's more defensible and more impactful.

For more on the state of the Nigerian startup ecosystem and what's working, check /resources/best-of-launchpad-2026, which covers products across categories. If you're starting an edtech company and wondering how to find your first users, /resources/first-100-users-nigeria has practical tactics that work without paid ads.

FAQ

Q: Is JAMB prep edtech completely dead? A: No, but it's mature and commoditised. Apps that focus only on JAMB prep struggle with retention and monetisation. The ones surviving have diversified into other exam prep, gone B2B (selling to schools), or moved upmarket (international exams, premium content).

Q: What's the best business model for vocational edtech in Nigeria? A: Outcome-based models (low upfront cost, commission on employment) are most sustainable because they align incentives and reduce user risk. However, they require robust data infrastructure. Subscription models work for specific audiences (employers, schools), but less so for individual learners.

Q: How do I track employment outcomes if I'm building edtech? A: Start with surveys (ask users directly), then layer in employer partnerships (if a user gets hired through your platform, employers tell you), and use proxy metrics (activity on job boards, testimonials). No single method is perfect, but combining them gives you a signal.

Q: Do I need to be based in Lagos to build edtech in Nigeria? A: No, but being in or near a major city (Lagos, Abuja, Kano) helps for user research, hiring, and investor access. Many successful founders start remote or in smaller cities, then move when they need to scale.

Q: What's the relationship between edtech and the gig economy in Nigeria? A: Strong. Platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and local gig platforms (Kuda, OPay's services) are creating demand for skills. Edtech platforms that teach gig-ready skills (coding, design, copywriting) and connect users to gig work have a clear value prop and revenue model.

What to do next

If you're building edtech or thinking about it:

1. Read /resources/shipping-from-naija-2026 to understand the broader ecosystem and infrastructure available to you.

2. Check /resources/first-100-users-nigeria for practical tactics on finding early users without paid ads—critical for edtech, where word-of-mouth and community matter more than marketing spend.

3. Study /resources/best-of-launchpad-2026 to see what other edtech and education founders are building and how they're positioning themselves.

Then, start with one city, one skill, one user cohort. Prove the model. Track outcomes. Iterate. The market rewards founders who do this well.