Help shape the future of school leadership across Africa
The next generation of great schools will not be built by theory alone. They will be built by experienced school leaders willing to share what they have learned. That is why SMI exists.
School Management Institute is building a global network of school founders, directors, education consultants and institutional leaders who believe that better school leadership creates better schools — and better schools shape better societies. If you have built, led or transformed a school, there is someone somewhere who needs the wisdom you already carry.
Most school owners are not failing because they lack passion. They are failing because nobody ever taught them:
SMI exists to change that.
Our mentors are not motivational speakers. They are practitioners. People who have built schools, led institutions, solved operational problems, grown student populations, managed teams, survived difficult seasons, and learned lessons that cannot be taught from a textbook. At SMI, mentors help school owners move from exhaustion to structure, confusion to clarity, and survival to sustainable growth.
Most education programs teach concepts. SMI teaches implementation. Every cohort combines live classes, practical frameworks, real-world assignments, operational systems, technology exposure, and mentorship from experienced education leaders.
Mentors are not invited to 'talk'. They are invited to guide transformation. This is hands-on impact.
We are building a diverse faculty network across Nigeria, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and beyond. You may be a fit if you are a school founder, proprietor, administrator, consultant, former school executive, EdTech leader, or academic strategist.
"You do not need to be famous. You need real experience, practical wisdom, strong values, and a desire to help school owners grow."
Teach specific SMI curriculum modules with practical focus.
Provide one-on-one guidance to school owners.
Help founders avoid critical operational mistakes.
Guide practical application of frameworks in their schools.
Give back meaningfully
Influence the future of education
Join a global network
Build legacy beyond your institution
"This Is Bigger Than One Cohort."
SMI is not building a temporary training program. We are building a long-term education leadership movement. Today, Nigeria. Tomorrow: Africa, multiple countries, and eventually globally.
SMI mentors are volunteers who believe in the mission of school transformation. We ask for professionalism, clear communication, and practical insight. Mentorship is flexible — participate per cohort, monthly, or as ongoing faculty.
"Somewhere right now, there is a school owner overwhelmed and under-supported… One conversation with the right mentor can change the trajectory of that school forever. That mentor could be you."
Currently running a school with hands-on leadership experience in day-to-day operations and strategic direction.
Specialist with deep knowledge within the school space — operations, finance, EdTech, governance, or related fields.
The people you would join — school founders and education leaders from across the globe.
No mentors confirmed for your city yet — but the global pool mentors every cohort. See the full global pool →
Blessing Ngozi Omosebi
Cambridge Assessment Specialist & Head of Department
One of Africa's few educators certified as a Cambridge Assessment Specialist for both AS & A Level Economics and Business Studies, Blessing Omosebi has spent 13+ years at the intersection of teaching excellence and institutional transformation. As Head of Department for Commerce at Greensprings School ù one of Nigeria's leading international schools ù she has personally trained over 10,000 educators across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa in Cambridge methodology and reflective teaching practice. A Best Graduating Student at the University of Lagos (MSc Management, CGPA 4.87), McKinsey Forward Program alumna, two-time published author, and Iconic Brand Africa's Top 10 Edu-Influencer of 2024, Blessing equips school leaders with both the pedagogical frameworks and data-driven systems to build institutions that perform at international standards.
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Folasade Adefisayo
Former Commissioner for Education, Lagos State | CEO, Leading Learning Ltd
Folasade Adefisayo brings something no other mentor in this programme can offer: she has led from the school desk and the cabinet table. As the Honourable Commissioner for Education for Lagos State (2019û2023), she shaped education policy for Africa's most economically significant state. Before entering government, she spent 12 years transforming the Corona Schools Trust Council ù Nigeria's most prestigious private school network ù rising from Executive Director and CEO to Director, and leaving the institution measurably stronger. Today she leads Leading Learning Limited, hosts the Purpose-Driven School Leadership Webinar Series ù now in its 7th edition on school governance and sustainability ù and holds a Fellowship at the University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative. Holding an MA in Education (Distinction) from the University of Nottingham and an MBA from the University of Lagos, Folasade bridges policy, practice, and strategic leadership in a way that is uniquely valuable for school founders who want to build institutions designed to last.
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Tasiyiwa Katie Mapondera
ICF PCC À EMCC EIA | Executive Coach & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder
Harare, ZimbabweTasiyiwa Katie Mapondera is a dual-credentialed executive coach ù ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and EMCC European Individual Accreditation (EIA) ù with 17 years at the intersection of entrepreneurship, education, and leadership transformation. Based in Doha, she founded Q L and D LLC, an innovation strategy and learning & development consultancy, and Q Teacher Supply ù the first registered supply teacher agency in Qatar. As Co-Director of Founder Institute Qatar and Innovation & Entrepreneurship Specialist at the University of Doha for Science & Technology, she has built and mentored startup ecosystems across the Middle East and Africa. She serves as an Advisor at EduMESS, Associate Director at Empower World, and earlier in her career managed the EdTech Innovation Incubator at the Software & Information Industry Association in Washington DC and consulted for the Supreme Committee that delivered the FIFA World Cup Qatar. In the SMI programme, Katie brings the rigour of a credentialed coach alongside the street-level wisdom of someone who has founded institutions, mentored founders through high-stakes growth, and built learning ecosystems from the ground up.
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Kenechukwu Nsofor
Director | Multi-Campus School Builder
Abuja, NigeriaKenechukwu "KC" Nsofor is one of the few mentors in this programme who has done exactly what SMI participants are trying to do ù build a school from the ground up and scale it. Growing up in Onitsha, KC spent his school holidays working as staff in the family's K-12 institution, learning every layer of school operations from the inside. Upon graduation, he took over its management and over the next 17 years grew it into a network of four campuses serving over 2,500 students ù earning a top 10 ranking among schools in Anambra State. As Director of Learning at Field International School, KC brings knowledge no textbook can replicate: the operational realities of multi-campus management, teacher retention, school finance under pressure, and the systems that allow a school to grow without falling apart. When school founders in the SMI programme face the challenges of scale, KC has already lived through them.
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Adeleke Adesina
PhD | Business Systems Coach & School Founder | Lecturer, University of Lagos
Dr. Adeleke Adesina holds a PhD in Chemistry Education from the University of Ibadan, an MEd from the University of Lagos, and certifications from the UK's Systems Academy, the School of Consulting London, and Finland's School of Education ù giving him a rare blend of academic depth and global practitioner credibility. A Lecturer at the University of Lagos for over a decade, he is also the founder of five businesses, including The Rock Empire Group of Schools in Lagos, which means he brings lived school-founder experience into every coaching conversation. As Founder of ADELEKE ADESINA COMPANY, he has spent 17 years helping executives build the systems, structures, and processes that move organisations from founder-dependency to scalable performance. In the SMI programme, Adeleke equips school leaders with the business architecture their institutions need ù the workflows, operational structures, and organizational design that allow a school to run profitably and grow without the founder being the bottleneck.
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Ayokanmi Moriyonu-Bamidele
Chartered Accountant & Financial Services Consultant
Ayokanmi holds four professional certifications ù ACA, ACTI, AAT, and CFA Level I ù alongside an MSc in Finance from the University of Lagos and alumni status from the McKinsey Forward Program, making this one of Nigeria's most comprehensively credentialed school finance profiles. As founder of Skyelip International Limited, Ayokanmi has spent over five years guiding SMEs through financial planning, tax compliance, investment strategy, and corporate governance. School leaders in the SMI programme gain a practitioner-led guide to building financially sustainable institutions ù from budget management and audit readiness to tax obligations and sound investment decisions.
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Ify Obidi-Essien
Founder & CEO
Ify Obidi-Essien is a Microsoft Global Training Partner and the founder of Tech-Savvy Teacher International, an EdTech organisation she has led for nearly a decade from Lagos with active operations across Nigeria, Dubai, Rwanda, and Kenya. Her most distinctive credential: she was among the practitioners who contextualised Microsoft's certified educator (MCE) curriculum for African classroom realities, making globally recognised teacher-tech certification accessible to educators across the continent. A Certiport Authorised Testing Centre operator and recipient of a Women and Leadership certification (Grade A, European Business University of Luxembourg), Ify bridges corporate technology standards and frontline education. Her T.E.D.A. (Tech Executive Development Academy) coaching programme develops education leaders, and her work as Project Consultant on the Charterhouse School Lagos initiative ù West Africa's first British Independent School ù demonstrates reach across elite and community education contexts alike. Ify has spoken at eLearning Africa and other international platforms, and is completing a Master's in Digital Transformation at Nexford University. She brings to SMI participants a rare combination: deep technical certification expertise, a proven system for scaling digital skills across African markets, and nearly a decade of institution-building experience.
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Toyin Sam-Emehelu
PhD | Founder, CoreSkills Transformational Academy | John C. Maxwell Foundation
Dr. Toyin Sam-Emehelu has spent 13 years doing one thing: developing leaders who transform institutions. Holding a PhD in Educational Management and Planning and an M.Ed in Educational Psychology from the University of Lagos, she founded CoreSkills Transformational Academy Limited and serves as Director of Partnerships at Equip Nigeria ù the John C. Maxwell Foundation's African arm ù working with school leaders, NGOs, and SMEs across five African countries. An Accredited and Licensed Management Trainer by the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CMD), Fellow of the Pan African Consultant Association, and active mentor with the MasterCard Foundation, Tony Elumelu Foundation, and Teach For Nigeria, Dr. Toyin is among Africa's most credentialed practitioners in education leadership and human capital development. She has distilled over a decade of field experience into 33 published books on leadership, coaching, and organizational transformation.
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Chisom Ekwerike
Brand Growth Strategist & Associate Chartered Marketer (CIM)
Chisom Ekwerike is an Associate Chartered Marketer (CIM, UK) and brand growth strategist whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, consumer psychology, and data-driven positioning. Holding an MSc in Digital Communication with Distinction from the University of Chester, she has trained 100+ business owners on how to clarify brand positioning, build audience trust, and convert visibility into revenue ù delivering a 45% engagement increase and 30% conversion improvement for the brands she has led. As Senior Brand Marketing Manager at BuildurBrand and formerly a Customer Insights Analyst for Hastings Direct, Chisom brings both the creative and analytical sides of brand building. For school leaders, she addresses one of the most neglected assets in education: a school's brand ù how parents perceive it, how communities talk about it, and how it earns trust long before enrolment conversations begin.
View ProfileSMI mentors are volunteers driven by the mission of educational transformation. While the role is unpaid, the network, prestige, and impact are high-value returns.
We offer flexible engagement models. Most mentors commit to 2-4 hours per month during an active cohort, including live sessions and office hours.
No. SMI is a global network. Most mentoring happens virtually, allowing experts from anywhere in the world to impact schools across Africa.
Yes. If you have practical wisdom in building educational products or solving specific institutional problems, we welcome your expertise.
