Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti, is set to graduate the first cohort of its Professional Diploma Programme in Securities Trading and Financial Markets before the end of 2026, according to Professor Oke Michael Ojo of the Department of Finance. The programme, known as the EKSU Financial Markets Training Program (E-FMTP), was approved by the University Senate on February 25, 2026, and runs for eight months.
Sub-Saharan Africa's First University Trading Room
Central to the E-FMTP is the EKSU Trading Room, established under the direction of the university's Chancellor, Dr Tunji Olowolafe, and funded by the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation (TOF). The facility receives technical support from the CFA Institute and is described as the first financial dealing and trading room set up in any university across Sub-Saharan Africa. The room holds 20 trading stations, each equipped with dual monitors, a 75-inch smart television screen, an optimised sound system, solar inverter backup, three high-capacity air-conditioning units, and high-speed internet. Students wear professional trading vests to replicate the atmosphere of a live dealing room.
Professor Ojo said the Trading Room was built specifically to close the gap between academic learning and industry demands. "We combined theoretical instruction with practical simulations so students gain a full, hands-on understanding of risk management, investment strategies, and live trading in global markets," he said. Dr Olowolafe argued that conventional university education is failing finance graduates. "A large percentage of recent graduates seeking finance roles lack the critical, practical skills demanded by modern capital markets," he said. His ambition for E-FMTP is to make the EKSU model a blueprint adopted by universities across Nigeria, turning classrooms into environments where students graduate ready to work on global trading desks.
Alignment with National Economic Vision
This development places EKSU in direct alignment with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on building a sustainable economy through improved financial literacy and investment education. President Tinubu had stated, "If we can teach this [stock market] in the classroom to our undergraduates, we can build a nation of succession and prosperity," when he hosted the leadership of the Nigerian Xchange Group (NGX) at the State House recently.
The initiative traces its origins to September 2024, when a group of EKSU students visited FMDQ Exchange in Victoria Island, Lagos, for a financial literacy programme. That trip led to the creation of the EKSU Investment Club (ICESU), which links students to CFA Institute resources, internships, exam scholarships, and investment conferences.
Pioneer Cohort and Next Steps
Ms Bomo Anthony, General Manager of TOF, reflected on the progress of the pioneer students. "I've watched these students grow, week by week, from learning about shares and bonds to actually placing a trade," she said. "That's the moment it stops being a classroom exercise and starts being a career." She added, "What we're graduating isn't just a cohort — it's a group of young people who already think like professionals."
With the pioneer graduation approaching, TOF and EKSU have confirmed that applications for the next cohort will open at the start of the new academic year.
