A Vision Built Around Human Potential
For Dr Busayo Ajayi, High-Flyers University represents more than the establishment of another university. It is the culmination of a journey shaped by a belief in the transformative power of education, entrepreneurship and opportunity.
An educator, entrepreneur and business consultant with more than two decades of professional experience, Dr Ajayi has devoted a significant part of his career to helping people and organisations develop their capabilities, overcome barriers and turn ideas into meaningful results.
His philosophy is simple but ambitious: talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not. Education can help bridge that gap.
That conviction ultimately inspired the establishment of High-Flyers University – a university created to develop graduates who are not only academically knowledgeable, but also skilled, confident, innovative, ethically grounded and entrepreneurially driven.
It is an ambition captured in the University’s motto: Raising High-Flyers.
Early Life and Education
Dr Ajayi’s journey combines education, business and entrepreneurship. He studied Accounting at the University of Ado-Ekiti, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2000. He subsequently completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the same university in 2003.
His interest in the relationship between accounting, information and organisational decision-making led him to further study Accounting Information Systems at master’s level at London Metropolitan University in 2004.
He later pursued doctoral research at the University of Essex, United Kingdom, completing a PhD in Entrepreneurship in 2013.
His academic journey across accounting, business administration, information systems and entrepreneurship would later influence his approach to education: one that brings together academic knowledge, technology, enterprise and practical application.
An Entrepreneur from an Early Stage
Dr Ajayi’s entrepreneurial journey began before the completion of his first degree. While still an undergraduate, he became involved in business – an experience that gave him an early understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by entrepreneurs.
Following his university education, he completed his National Youth Service at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, in 2001. He subsequently trained and developed professionally across financial analysis, accounting and business consultancy.
Since 2004, his work has involved providing research, analysis and strategic advice to businesses and organisations. His experience has included supporting organisations with business development, restructuring, acquisitions, capital raising and organisational improvement.
Over more than two decades, he has developed multidisciplinary experience spanning the financial, regulatory, operational, strategic and entrepreneurial dimensions of business. A consistent feature of his work has been the ability to identify barriers to organisational performance and translate complex information and ideas into practical solutions.
From Business to the Classroom
Alongside his business career, Dr Ajayi developed a strong commitment to teaching and entrepreneurship education. During his doctoral studies at the University of Essex, he taught business and entrepreneurship-related courses between 2009 and 2013. He also worked as a business lecturer at the London College of Engineering and Management between 2010 and 2011.
These experiences reinforced his belief that effective education should connect theory with the realities students will encounter beyond the classroom. For him, students should understand not only what they know, but also what they can do, how they can apply their knowledge, what problems they can solve and what value they can create.
Building Institutions. Creating Opportunities.
In 2014, Dr Ajayi founded the Forum for Sustainable New Venture, an organisation supporting apprenticeship training, further education and business growth. In the same year, he established Ajayi Polytechnic, with an educational focus encompassing business, technical skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
He also founded the Innovation Entrepreneurship Development Centre, further advancing his interest in enterprise development, innovation and practical skills. Each initiative contributed to a broader vision: creating educational pathways through which people could acquire knowledge, develop practical capabilities and improve their economic opportunities.
The Vision for High-Flyers University
After years working across education, entrepreneurship and business, Dr Ajayi envisioned a university capable of bringing these worlds together. The question behind the vision was fundamental: What should a university graduate be prepared to become?
The answer could not simply be a degree holder. The vision was for graduates who could think independently, communicate effectively, use technology confidently, demonstrate professional competence, understand entrepreneurship, work with others, solve problems and respond to a rapidly changing world.
From that vision emerged High-Flyers University. The University was established in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, and received its Provisional Licence to Operate as a Private University on 29 June 2026.
For Dr Ajayi, the licence represented not the completion of the journey, but the beginning of a much greater responsibility: building an institution capable of transforming potential into achievement.
The Founder’s Educational Philosophy
Dr Ajayi’s philosophy for High-Flyers University rests on the belief that higher education should develop the whole person. Students need academic knowledge, but knowledge alone is not enough. They need practical skills, confidence, integrity, digital capability, exposure to research and innovation, leadership and collaboration, opportunities to discover their strengths, and the entrepreneurial mindset to recognise and create opportunities.
This philosophy underpins the University’s approach to Knowledge, Skills, Behaviour, Career Development and Entrepreneurship. The ultimate aspiration is to develop graduates who can compete globally while remaining capable of contributing meaningfully to Nigeria, Africa and the communities around them.
Why “High-Flyers”?
The name expresses the University’s belief in human potential. A High-Flyer is not defined simply by examination results. A High-Flyer is someone who continues to learn, is prepared to work hard, questions assumptions, develops the courage to pursue an idea, sees a problem and thinks about a solution, understands that success carries responsibility, and is prepared to use knowledge and opportunity to make a positive difference.
Raising High-Flyers is therefore more than our motto. It is our purpose.
Awards and Recognition
In 2025, Dr Ajayi was nominated for recognition as an International Peace Advocate by the United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC) in acknowledgement of his reported contribution to peace, moral leadership and community service.
He has also received recognition from the Centre for Ethics and Self-Value Orientation for integrity and dedication to ethical leadership.
Publication note: the exact official titles, dates and wording of awards or nominations should be checked against the relevant certificates before publication.
Founder’s Message – To Every Future High-Flyer
Every great journey begins somewhere. For some of you, university will be the first time you live away from home. For others, it will be the first time you discover an ability you never knew you possessed. Some of you already know exactly what you want to become. Others are still searching. Both are welcome here.
High-Flyers University was established because I believe strongly in what education can make possible when knowledge is combined with skills, opportunity, discipline, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Our responsibility is not simply to teach you enough to pass examinations. We want to challenge you to think. We want you to ask questions. We want you to experiment, investigate, create and solve problems. We want you to develop the confidence to communicate your ideas and the humility to continue learning.
Most importantly, we want you to leave this University believing that your future is something you can help shape.
There will be challenges along the way. Meaningful achievement rarely comes without them. But university should give you the environment, knowledge, relationships and experiences that help you become more capable of meeting those challenges.
My hope is that when you eventually leave High-Flyers University, you will take much more with you than a degree. Take knowledge. Take skills. Take friendships. Take confidence. Take integrity. Take curiosity. Take an entrepreneurial mindset. And take with you the determination to make a positive difference wherever life takes you.
Dr Busayo Ajayi, PhD
Founder, High-Flyers University
