Unicaf, the online and on-campus learning platform backed by Goldman Sachs, CDC Group, University Ventures, and EDEX, has entered into a two-year partnership with Mastercard to offer its premium cardholders 75% scholarships for online and on-campus studies at Unicaf’s partner universities.
The deal starts this first quarter of 2021 and is open to Mastercard Gold, Platinum, World and World Elite cardholders across 12 countries in Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, Somalia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia).
The partnership will see Mastercard cardholders pay just 25% of the total fees in flexible manageable monthly installments over the period of the program.
“We are committed to offering Mastercard customers the opportunity to earn internationally recognized Bachelor, Master’s or Doctoral degrees at a fraction of the cost through the Unicaf-Mastercard scholarship” said Dr. Nicos Nicolaou, CEO, Unicaf. “This partnership will provide a degree earning opportunity to Mastercard customers and we are incredibly proud to have this partnership with an organization like Mastercard.”
A recent Mastercard study on consumer spending has revealed that people have been changing the way they learn new skills by transitioning to online studying as they adapt to the ‘next normal’. 50% of respondents in Nigeria, 48% in Ghana and 47% in Kenya have enrolled at an online university since the pandemic began.
Unicaf’s digital ecosystem allows students to study and complete their courses online by interacting with internationally trained tutors and fellow virtual classmates from 156 countries. Together with its university partners, Unicaf has positively transformed the lives of more than 30,000 students worldwide.
“We are extremely excited to partner with Unicaf to offer our premium cardholders’ access to internationally recognized degrees at discount. As consumers in our markets embrace online learning, this is how we show dedication to our premium cardholders by offering value through lifestyle benefits and rewards that are perfectly matched to their new routines” said Ebehijie Momoh, Country Manager, West Africa, Mastercard.
