Selling a school is a decision you make quietly.

We broker the sale and acquisition of schools, colleges and training institutions across Africa and beyond — discreetly, and through a network of institutional relationships built over twenty years. No listings, no public marketing, no staff finding out before you are ready to tell them.

All enquiries under NDA

Sell side

You are considering selling

Whether you are planning a retirement, consolidating a group, or simply testing what the school is worth, the first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

→Independent valuation before you decide anything
→Buyers approached only after you approve each name
→Your identity withheld until an NDA is signed
→Staff, parents and competitors learn nothing from us

Buy side

You are looking to acquire

Groups, investors and institutions expanding into or within African education markets. Most of what we handle never reaches a public listing.

→Off-market opportunities matched to your criteria
→Screened for accreditation, enrolment and financial position
→Cross-border introductions through our network
→Support through diligence to completion

The thing that matters most

A leaked sale costs more than a bad price.

The moment word gets out that a school is changing hands, the damage starts before any deal does. Teachers begin looking elsewhere. Parents hold off on the next term’s fees. Competitors call your families. By the time a buyer completes diligence, the enrolment they were valuing has moved.

Everything opposite exists to prevent that. It is slower than putting a school on a listing site, and it is the entire reason owners come to us.

How we protect a sale

Nothing is publicly listedNo adverts, no directory entries, no school-for-sale pages. Opportunities move through direct approach only.

Blind profiles firstBuyers see a market, size band and financial shape — never a name, address or logo, until an NDA is executed.

You approve every approachWe bring you a name before we contact them. If you would rather we did not, we do not.

Site visits are stagedArranged out of hours or framed neutrally, so staff and parents draw no conclusions.

Announcement on your timetableCommunication to staff, parents and regulators is planned with you and released when you choose.

Sell side

How a sale runs

Typically six to eighteen months from first conversation to completion, depending on the institution’s size and how ready its records are.

An exploratory conversation

Off the record, under NDA if you prefer. What you own, why you are considering a sale, and what a realistic outcome looks like. No fee, no obligation.

Week 1

Valuation and readiness review

We assess enrolment trends, fee structure, staff costs, property position, accreditation standing and licensing. This is also where gaps surface — most schools need three to six months of tidying before a buyer will pay full value.

Weeks 2–6

Blind profile and buyer shortlist

An anonymous profile is prepared. We build a shortlist of credible buyers from our network and bring you the names for approval before anyone is contacted.

Weeks 6–10

Approach and NDA

Approved buyers are approached individually. Your identity is disclosed only after an NDA is signed, and only to those who remain genuinely interested.

Weeks 10–16

Offers, diligence and negotiation

We manage the data room, coordinate diligence and negotiate on your behalf. Your own lawyers and accountants handle the legal and tax work — we do not replace them.

Months 4–9

Completion and transition

Communication to staff, parents and regulators is planned in advance and released on your schedule. Where you are staying on through a handover, we help structure it.

Completion

Institution types

What we broker

Anything with enrolment, accreditation and a fee base. If you are unsure whether your institution fits, the exploratory conversation will settle it quickly.

Private nursery & primaryPrivate secondary schoolsBoarding schoolsInternational schoolsCollegesPrivate universitiesVocational & technical institutesLanguage schoolsPathway & foundation providersTest preparation centresSchool groups & multi-site operatorsEducation service businesses

Not ready to sell? A valuation is still worth having. Most owners who eventually sell well spent a year first fixing the things a valuation exposed — enrolment reporting, staff contracts, property title, licensing. Knowing early is the difference between a fair price and a discounted one.

Confidential enquiry

Start with a conversation, not a commitment.

Tell us as much or as little as you are comfortable with. You do not need to name the institution at this stage — we can sign an NDA before you do.

✓Read only by our advisory team, never the fairs team
✓NDA provided on request before any detail is shared
✓No fee for the first conversation or initial assessment
✓Nothing is listed, published or marketed at any point

Prefer not to use a form? Email info@educationfair.com.ng marked Advisory — Confidential, or call +234 810 041 3344.

Handled by the advisory team