Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, is set to graduate the pioneer cohort of its Professional Diploma Programme in Securities Trading and Financial Markets before the end of 2026.
The university disclosed this in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Monday, noting that the eight-month EKSU Financial Markets Training
Programme was designed to equip students with practical skills needed for careers in the financial markets.
Approved by the university Senate on February 25, 2026, the programme combines classroom instruction with practical simulations covering areas such as risk management, investment strategies and trading in global markets.
The training is delivered in a CFA Institute-backed Training Room established to bridge the gap between conventional classroom learning and the realities of financial markets.
Speaking on the programme, academician
Dr Tunji Olowolafe said it was designed to address the gap between university education and the practical skills required in modern capital markets.
He said many graduates seeking finance-related jobs lacked the practical skills demanded by the industry.
According to him, the programme gives students access to practical trading, simulated dealing rooms and global virtual work experiences, helping them develop skills that can make them competitive in the financial industry.
“We are equipping our youth to command global trading desks from day one, transforming university classrooms into incubators for economic powerhouse leaders. This model must become the blueprint replicated across all Nigerian universities,” Olowolafe said.
The General Manager of the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, Bomo Anthony, also said the programme had moved students beyond learning financial concepts to gaining practical experience.
She explained that students had progressed from learning about shares and bonds to actually placing trades, describing the experience as an important step towards preparing them for careers in the financial sector.
Anthony, however, stressed that the investment in the programme would only achieve its purpose if students continued to develop and apply the skills they had acquired.
The university said applications for the next cohort would open at the beginning of the new academic year as EKSU and the foundation work to expand the programme to more students
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