Bimpe Femi-Oyewo is the founder and CEO of Edward Consulting, the educational consulting firm with a mission to improve society through education. In just five years, Bimpe has secured over $16.5 million/N18.2 billion – in scholarships and admissions for Africans for their study abroad at top universities.
Introduce yourself in three words or phrases.
Resilient, impactful and resourceful.
How did you find yourself working in international education?
Edward Consulting was born out of the desire to solve the lack of accessibility to quality higher education overseas available to Africans, as someone fortunate to experience quality education overseas as early as 16 years when I first got into university in the US on a scholarship.
Later, I had the opportunity to go back for my masters at Duke University where I received both internal and external scholarships; the P.E.O. Scholarship. Through these opportunities, I saw first-hand how difficult it can be for Africans to access quality education at top schools overseas without scholarships or funding options but I’ve also seen how those international opportunities can change lives and support households back at home.
I created Edward Consulting to be that bridge for Africans to access quality education at top schools overseas at an affordable rate.
In the five years we have been in operation, we have secured admission for hundreds of Africans and over $16.5 million/N18.2 billion for both graduate and undergraduate studies at top universities like MIT, Oxford, Columbia, INSEAD, UPenn, Cambridge, Yale, Imperial and many others in the US, the UK, Canada, and many others.
Proudest career moment?
I have two of these moments. Firstly, through the Edward Adefemi Scholarship, which we created in honour of my late dad Dr. Edward Adefemi Oyewo and is where our name Edward comes from, we are enabling students from low-income communities to study abroad.
We do this by covering all application-related costs – test fees, application fees, tutoring costs, visa costs and any other costs. We also work with them on reviewing their applications, essays and CVs and preparing them for interviews at no cost to them.
One of the recipients of this scholarship, Bright, has secured over $1.6 million to study for his undergraduate studies in the US at multiple universities including two scholarships covering full tuition for eight consecutive semesters and one fully-funded scholarship that covers tuition, fees, housing and meal plans.
Another moment is from last year when I was dealing with a family emergency and had to conduct MBA interview preps during that time because our clients needed my help.
Not only did they secure admission to top schools, but in January 2024, two of my clients whom I worked with during that challenging time both secured $150,000 for their MBA at Columbia Business School.
What keeps you awake at night?
There are a couple of things that keep me up at night but one is the inability of anyone, especially Africans, to access quality education. Access to education is a human right and should not be a privilege or only reserved for a few.
According to Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. I strongly believe that and so knowing that there are many people who cannot access quality education keeps me up at night.
This is why Edward Consulting has been intentional about also supporting access to quality education on the ground through partnerships with organisations like Dolly Children Foundation, a free-tuition school for out-of-school children in Ogun state, Nigeria.
If you had a magic wand, what would you change?
“If I had a magic wand, I would make the process for a student visa denial more transparent”
I would change how difficult it is for Africans to get student visas. There are high rates of student visa denials, especially from the US. A report by The Presidents’ Alliance/Shorelight in 2023 shows that more than half of African students (54%) applying to study in these countries are refused a visa.
This is alarming compared to European students’ denial rate – only 9%, according to the data. It showed that West African countries have the highest refusal rates in Africa. I have worked with remarkable Nigerians and Ghanaians who did the work to get into some of the best schools in the world and get in with substantial scholarships and sometimes full tuition but still got their student visas denied despite several attempts.
After a year of work and resources, they were unable to attend their dream school. It is heartbreaking!
Yes, some are denied because they were not prepared or didn’t meet the requirement for a student visa but many don’t fall into that category. The report also shows that many well-prepared and probably qualified African student visas are denied.
If I had a magic wand, I would change this and make the process for a student visa denial more transparent.
Describe a project or initiative you’re currently working on that excites you.
The Edward Consulting team is currently working with a leading financial technology company that is also passionate about supporting international students to create a scholarship fund for Africans for their graduate studies in the US and Canada.
The goal is to launch this before the end of the first quarter of 2024 so that the scholarships can be used for Fall 2024. With the devaluation of so many African countries’ currencies, studying abroad has never been more expensive and a scholarship has never been more essential.
It’s really exciting to be able to partner with an amazing organisation that understands the plight of Africans in accessing affordable study-abroad opportunities. This scholarship will help to provide funding and allow many Africans to achieve their study abroad dream. I can’t wait to be able to share more details after it has launched.
Book or podcast recommendation for others in the sector?
I recently started listening to the Destiny Benders podcast and will recommend it to anyone in the international education sector. For a change, it’s refreshing to hear from the professionals in this space, their stories, and what drove them to get into the international education sector.
I like that we hear about their different journeys and why they have stayed in this space. I find the conversations both inspiring and insightful.
Moreover, it’s a great opportunity to learn about some of the amazing people in this space who are impacting lives through international education.
