Firm targets 1,000 fully funded scholarships
By Glorious Idowu Creatives, corporate leaders and aspiring talents converged on the Lagos Oriental Hotel at the weekend, as LearnStar hosted its Creative Summit to address funding gaps, infrastructure challenges
By Glorious Idowu
Creatives, corporate leaders and aspiring talents converged on the Lagos Oriental Hotel at the weekend, as LearnStar hosted its Creative Summit to address funding gaps, infrastructure challenges and new pathways for growth in Nigeria’s creative economy.
The summit served as a platform for dialogue between the private sector and young creatives seeking structure, training and sponsorship opportunities within the creative space.
Advertisement
300x250
Speaking at the summit, the CEO LearnStar Mr. Kshitij Sainani disclosed that the platform is on track to fully fund 1,000 students through corporate-backed scholarships. He said that 600 beneficiaries have already completed the process, while 400 more are expected to conclude by April.
“In total, to date, we have had almost 3,000 students on our platform. But 1,000 are going to be fully funded,” he said, noting that more companies are being approached to sponsor additional students.
Sainani explained that LearnStar focuses on the creative economy, offering courses in areas such as music and fashion, with no strict age limit for enrollment. While most participants fall between 18 and 35 years old, older individuals have also enrolled to develop creative skills.
Addressing sector-wide challenges, he identified unstable electricity, high data costs, and limited internet access as major barriers to scaling digital learning. He stressed that without improved infrastructure, many young Nigerians outside major cities would remain excluded from opportunities in the creative space.
The CEO also called for more grants, loans, startup incubators and performance venues to nurture emerging talent. Rather than limiting partnerships to individual celebrities, he advocated for collaborations with global corporations capable of employing large numbers of trained youths.
Advertisement
300x250
Read Also: Group hails Tinubu, Fagbemi, BPP over Nigeria’s arbitration victory
He commended Aiico Insurance for supporting the initiative and urged other corporations to channel capital into the creative sector.
Although the company is still in its second year with a six-member team, Sainani said LearnStar are expanding and exploring international internship pathways for students.
Director of Operations, Learnstar, Mr. Temi Toba highlighted the solutions that Learnstar is designed to provide. “We’re trying to make the solution of access available. As simple as that,” he added.
He stated that Learnstar is developing creative content by drawing inspiration from those who have previously excelled, citing the courses of Johnny Drill and Hilda Baci available on the Learnstar application as examples.
Stakeholders agreed that stronger collaboration between corporates, global brands and eventually government institutions would be crucial to unlocking Nigeria’s creative potential.
