Diaspora Star |Ope Bukola: Building Africa’s Digital University from the Diaspora

Born in Nigeria, Ope Bukola moved to the United States with her family at the age of 10. That early shift across continents would plant the seeds for her future mission: using global experience and tech innovation to solve local challenges in Africa particularly in education.

Her academic journey led her to New York University (NYU), where she earned a degree in Economics and Mathematics. This solid quantitative and analytical foundation would serve her well as she carved a niche in the edtech industry.

Before founding Kibo School, Ope Bukola held several high-impact roles in the education technology space. Most notably, she served as Product Lead at Google Classroom, one of the most widely-used educational platforms in the world. In that role, she led cross-functional teams of engineers, designers, and marketers, helping to develop tools that supported millions of teachers and students.

Despite her success at Google, Ope felt a deeper pull. The COVID-19 pandemic reminded her of the fragility of life and reinvigorated her desire to create something meaningful, particularly for the continent of her birth.

In 2021, Ope took the leap and co-founded Kibo School, an online university aimed at delivering high-quality, affordable tech education to young Africans. Kibo’s flagship offering is a three-year Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, available to students in cities across Nigeria (Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta), Ghana (Accra, Kumasi), and Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa).

Kibo also runs “Try Kibo,” a free five-week program that introduces students to Python programming, web development, and online learning, helping them decide whether a full tech degree is right for them.

Kibo’s curriculum, developed in collaboration with experts from top firms like Amazon, Shopify, and Netflix, is designed for a remote-first, global economy. It combines solid computer science fundamentals with real-world team projects, internships, and peer assessments.

The journey hasn’t been without hurdles. Raising capital for a pan-African edtech startup is no easy feat. Ope and her team had to find investors who understood both the massive untapped potential of African learners and the longer growth cycles typical of education ventures. Still, Kibo recently secured $2 million in funding and won the prestigious GSV Cup, the world’s top edtech competition for startups—giving the company both visibility and momentum.

Yet, Ope says the toughest challenge has been building a team. “As we scale up, we need to hire mission-aligned, entrepreneurial people who can thrive in a globally distributed start-up,” she says. “That’s hard but it’s also been the most rewarding part of this journey.”

Ope Bukola isn’t just building a school she’s building a movement. In a continent where traditional universities struggle with overcrowding and underfunding, Kibo is showing that online education can be credible, affordable, and scalable.

Her work is a shining example of what’s possible when diaspora talent returns with a mission not just to give back, but to build forward.

Ope Bukola embodies the best of the Nigerian diaspora: excellence abroad, purpose at home. By applying global tech expertise to African challenges, she is pioneering a future where education is not a privilege for a few, but a launchpad for millions.