Allegations Mount Against CcHUB Over Bias, Favoritism, and Misrepresentation in Mastercard EdTech Fellowship

Serious allegations of selection bias, favoritism, and public misrepresentation are rocking the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship administered by Nigeria’s premier innovation hub, Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB). A confidential briefing released by the Coalition for Transparent Innovation (CTI) accuses the program of undermining merit-based selection and misusing public accolades to justify controversial fellowship decisions.

According to insider reports obtained by CTI, certain participants—including the CEO of Gradely—may have been admitted into the prestigious fellowship not on merit, but through personal ties to CcHUB’s founder and Nigeria’s current Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.

“There was no transparency, no real rubric. Decisions were made behind closed doors,” said one source who requested anonymity due to fear of professional retaliation.

The allegations come amid growing scrutiny of Africa’s tech accelerator ecosystem and rising calls for transparency in how public-private partnerships select and elevate startup talent. CTI’s report outlines how grassroots innovators, particularly those working on underserved language, inclusion, and access initiatives, were systematically overlooked despite strong applications.

NSF Award Misrepresented as Fellowship Milestone

Adding fuel to the controversy is what CTI describes as a misrepresentation of a U.S. federal grant. In a recent Instagram post, Michael Odokara-Okigbo, CEO of Nkenne, a Nigerian language learning app, declared:

“We secured a seven-figure National Science Foundation award.”

However, CTI has confirmed that the $1 million NSF SBIR Phase II award was granted not to Nkenne, but to ESM Global Productions LLC, a U.S.-registered company that operates the app. NSF records show that Nkenne, as a Nigeria-domiciled entity, would have been ineligible to receive the grant directly.

“Presenting a U.S. federal research grant as a Nigerian startup’s independent success is factually misleading and ethically troubling,” the CTI statement said.

Critics argue that CcHUB has used this misrepresentation to amplify the perceived success of its fellows, thereby reinforcing a narrative that may not reflect the true origin or legitimacy of the award.

Calls for Investigation and Reform

CTI is now calling for an independent audit of the Mastercard EdTech Fellowship’s selection process and fund disbursement. The group is also urging the Mastercard Foundation and the U.S. National Science Foundation to issue clarifications regarding the use of public funds in promotional materials.

The report outlines four major recommendations:
1.      Full disclosure of the scoring framework and evaluation criteria for all fellowship cohorts.
2.      Publication of the identities and affiliations of reviewers, along with conflict of interest declarations.
3.      A third-party audit, jointly overseen by the Mastercard Foundation and an independent civil society organization.
4.      Whistleblower protections for insiders and reviewers who report wrongdoing.

A Crossroads for African Innovation

This controversy comes at a critical moment for Africa’s innovation ecosystem. As global interest in African startups surges and donors allocate millions in development aid, the legitimacy of platforms like CcHUB is under the microscope.

CTI warns that unless these issues are addressed, public trust in donor-funded innovation pipelines could erode—and the very communities these programs claim to serve will continue to be left behind.

“If selection is driven by proximity to power rather than quality of ideas, the promise of innovation as a tool for social inclusion begins to collapse,” the CTI report concluded.