Benson Idahosa University

Name

Benson Idahosa University

Legal name

Benson Idahosa University

Website

https://biu.edu.ng

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Private higher education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Postgraduate degree programs
• Faith-based university
• Artificial intelligence research

Headquarters

HQ city

Benin City

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue generated from undergraduate and postgraduate program fees. School fees for 2024/2025 session are published on the university website.
2. Research Grants and Funding: Funding from TETFund, National Universities Commission, and international research partnerships for research activities and infrastructure development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Benson Idahosa University is a private, faith-based higher education institution delivering undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs across eight faculties and a College of Medicine, including Agriculture, Arts & Education, Engineering, Law, Science, Social & Management Sciences, Medicine, and Postgraduate Studies. The university supplements its academic offerings with a Centre for Artificial Intelligence, an e-Learning Platform, an open-access Institutional Repository, a Computer-Based Testing system, a Mobile App, and an Intellectual Property/Patent and Technology Transfer Office. Admissions are handled through UTME/JAMB and Direct Entry for undergraduates and direct applications for postgraduate candidates.

Product overview

Benson Idahosa University (BIU) offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services across eight faculties and a School of Postgraduate Studies. The university provides undergraduate and postgraduate academic programs in disciplines including Agriculture, Arts & Education, Medicine, Engineering, Law, Science, and Social & Management Sciences. Supporting its academic offerings, BIU operates a Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) for AI research and innovation, an e-Learning Platform for digital education delivery, a BIU Mobile Application for campus access, an Institutional Repository housing over 1,000 research publications, a CBT Demo for assessment, and an Intellectual Property/Patent and Technology Transfer Office. The university also recently announced its BIU AI Academy launch focused on AI education and awareness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs
• Postgraduate Programs
• Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI)
• e-Learning Platform
• BIU Mobile Application
• Institutional Repository
• BIU CBT Demo
• Intellectual Property/Patent and Technology Transfer Office (IPTTO)
• BIU AI Academy

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked top 3 in Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Virtual Institute of Capacity Building in Higher Education (VICBHE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIU's AI Centre staff received training from VICBHE under the facilitation of Emeritus Professor Peter Akinsola Okebukola. The institute provides capacity building programs for higher education institutions in AI education and research.
• National Association of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners (NAAIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration with NAAIP under the leadership of Professor Eyitope O. Ogunbodede (President). NAAIP is involved in the 2025 AI Awareness Day in Higher Education event organized by BIU.
• University of Bath, UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership established with Dr. Harrison Edokpolor of University of Bath, UK, a renowned expert in Medical Robotics who pioneered the development of an anticancer robotic capsule.
• International Universities (US, Europe, Asia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaculty of Social and Management Sciences collaborates with international universities from the US, Europe, and Asia, including signed MOUs with various institutions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Baze University: Private university in Abuja with strong focus on technology, engineering, and business. Comparable to BIU in its multi-faculty structure, private tuition model, and competition for Nigerian students seeking premium private education.
• Redeemer's University: Private university affiliated with the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Ede, Nigeria. Comparable faith-based positioning, multi-disciplinary faculty structure, and similar Nigerian student target market.
• Babcock University: Private Seventh-day Adventist university in Ilishan-Remo, Nigeria. Faith-based peer with comparable multi-faculty undergraduate and postgraduate offerings, similar denominational/values-driven positioning, and overlapping Nigerian student base.
• Afe Babalola University (ABUAD): Large private university in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria with broad faculty offerings including law, engineering, and health sciences. Comparable to BIU in scale, private tuition model, and competition for the same Nigerian undergraduate and postgraduate market.
• Igbinedion University: Private university located in Benin City, the same city as BIU. Operates essentially the same catchment area with comparable faith-rooted heritage and overlapping faculties, making it perhaps BIU's closest local competitor.
• Covenant University: Private faith-based Nigerian university in Ota, widely regarded as the leading private university in Nigeria. Directly comparable to BIU in its Christian ethos, tuition-driven model, multi-faculty structure, and similar domestic target market.
• Bowen University: Private Baptist university in Iwo, Nigeria. Faith-based peer with similar multi-faculty structure, postgraduate studies, and tuition-driven revenue model targeting Nigerian Christian families.
• Pan-Atlantic University: Private Nigerian university with strong business and management focus. Directly competes with BIU for Nigerian students seeking premium private education, particularly in the Social & Management Sciences faculty.
• Nile University of Nigeria: Private university in Abuja targeting Nigerian and international students with a modern campus and engineering/health focus. Comparable to BIU in its mix of undergraduate and postgraduate programs and private tuition model.

Broad incumbents

• University of Ibadan: Nigeria's premier public research university. While public rather than private, it is the dominant benchmark for Nigerian university rankings and competes with BIU for top applicants and faculty, particularly in research output and postgraduate recruitment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/biunigeria
• Instagraminstagram.com/biu_nigeria

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Benson Idahosa University