Written on April 11th 2024

Source here: B&FT Online


Open Institute of Technology (OPIT), an EU-accredited online institution renowned for its expertise in Information Technology (IT) education, has unveiled plans to increase enrollment from African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, for the academic year 2024.

Since its inception in 2023, OPIT has been dedicated to providing world-class education in information technology, and now, it is expanding its global reach to welcome students from diverse backgrounds across Africa.

 

 

In its inaugural year, OPIT attracted a diverse cohort of 100 students from 38 different nations, with a notable representation from Africa. A proportion of both Bachelor’s (9percent) and Master’s (7percentstudents originated from African countries, demonstrating OPIT’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity within its student body.

Also, a substantial percentage (40percentof Master’s students hailed from non-STEM backgrounds, underscoring OPIT’s dedication to providing educational opportunities to individuals from diverse professional domains. OPIT’s first cohort boasted students from a wide array of industries, including consulting, tech, gaming, energy, government, financial services, agriculture, oil and gas, and education, among others. This diverse mix of backgrounds contributes to a rich and vibrant learning environment at OPIT.

In anticipation of its upcoming student intake, OPIT has implemented several enhancements to its programmes, faculty, and support services:

New and enhanced programmes

OPIT has introduced four specialized tracks for its BSc in Computer Science programme for 2024, including Cybersecurity, Data Science & AI, Software Development & Cloud Computing, and Metaverse & Gaming. Additionally, a new BSc in Digital Business has been launched, catering to students interested in blending digital business with core computer science principles.

In addition to the existing MSc Applied Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme, OPIT now offers other Masters Degree options:

▪ MSc Enterprise Cybersecurity
▪ MSc Applied Digital Business
▪ MSc Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Concerning its revamped Bachelors and Masters programmesProfessor Francesco Profumo, Rector of OPIT (and former Minister of Education, University and Research of Italy) said:“In an era marked by an inevitable acceleration towards the most urgent transitions impacting society in the digital age, OPIT’s mission is to focus on quality online education in Technology.

The starting point is the awareness of the misalignment in the labor market, between what is taught in most universities and what companies are looking for today. That so-called mismatch, accelerated by the advent of AI, is generated by too much theory and too little practical approach. We have identified the skills that will guide this change and translated them into our innovative Degrees.”

Faculty expansion

The faculty at OPIT stands out as one of its greatest assets. In 2024, OPIT’s faculty members boast a diverse blend of academic and professional experiences, with stints at renowned institutions and organizations including Symantec, Microsoft, PayPal, McKinsey, MIT, Morgan Stanley, University of Edinburgh, Amazon, US Naval Research, and more. This deliberate mix ensures a well-rounded approach to training at OPIT, incorporating both scholarly expertise and real-world insights.

Speaking concerning OPIT’s faculty and teaching, Riccardo Ocleppo, Founder and Director of OPIT stated: Our teaching model combines quality, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. We believe that education, even if it takes place remotely, must guarantee closeness on all other aspects, starting from the support for the student throughout the period of study. We have translated into practice a new idea of higher education, radically different from the offering from traditional universities.”

“To support our approach, we have selected some of the most experienced academics and professionals in the Technology sphere. The quality of the Professors and the innovative format guarantees a tier-1 learning experience within a community of people linked by the common goal of entering the job market with up-to-date, relevant skills.

Experiences & opportunities

OPIT offers a diverse array of global perspectives, as students and faculty come from various corners of the world. A freshly established Career Services Department aims to forge stronger connections between students and their desired industries and career paths.

Moreover, students from Africa enrolling in 2024 will enjoy the advantage of having their degrees recognized by the World Education Services (WES). This recognition translates to the potential conversion of OPIT degrees into points for immigration assessment processes in the United States and Canada in the foreseeable future.

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Agenda Digitale: Regenerative Business – The Future of Business Is Net-Positive
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Dec 8, 2025 5 min read

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The net-positive model transcends traditional sustainability by aiming to generate more value than is consumed. Blockchain, AI, and IoT enable scalable circular models. Case studies demonstrate how profitability and positive impact combine to regenerate business and the environment.

By Francesco Derchi, Professor and Area Chair in Digital Business @ OPIT – Open Institute of Technology

In recent years, the word ” sustainability ” has become a firm fixture in the corporate lexicon. However, simply “doing no harm” is no longer enough: the climate crisis , social inequalities , and the erosion of natural resources require a change of pace. This is where the net-positive paradigm comes in , a model that isn’t content to simply reduce negative impacts, but aims to generate more social and environmental value than is consumed.

This isn’t about philanthropy, nor is it about reputational makeovers: net-positive is a strategic approach that intertwines economics, technology, and corporate culture. Within this framework, digitalization becomes an essential lever, capable of enabling regenerative models through circular platforms and exponential technologies.

Blockchain, AI, and IoT: The Technological Triad of Regeneration

Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things represent the technological triad that makes this paradigm shift possible. Each addresses a critical point in regeneration.

Blockchain guarantees the traceability of material flows and product life cycles, allowing a regenerated dress or a bottle collected at sea to tell their story in a transparent and verifiable way.

Artificial Intelligence optimizes recovery and redistribution chains, predicting supply and demand, reducing waste and improving the efficiency of circular processes .

Finally, IoT enables real-time monitoring, from sensors installed at recycling plants to sharing mobility platforms, returning granular data for quick, informed decisions.

These integrated technologies allow us to move beyond linear vision and enable systems in which value is continuously regenerated.

New business models: from product-as-a-service to incentive tokens

Digital regeneration is n’t limited to the technological dimension; it’s redefining business models. More and more companies are adopting product-as-a-service approaches , transforming goods into services: from technical clothing rentals to pay-per-use for industrial machinery. This approach reduces resource consumption and encourages modular design, designed for reuse.

At the same time, circular marketplaces create ecosystems where materials, components, and products find new life. No longer waste, but input for other production processes. The logic of scarcity is overturned in an economy of regenerated abundance.

To complete the picture, incentive tokens — digital tools that reward virtuous behavior, from collecting plastic from the sea to reusing used clothing — activate global communities and catalyze private capital for regeneration.

Measuring Impact: Integrated Metrics for Net-Positiveness

One of the main obstacles to the widespread adoption of net-positive models is the difficulty of measuring their impact. Traditional profit-focused accounting systems are not enough. They need to be combined with integrated metrics that combine ESG and ROI, such as impact-weighted accounting or innovative indicators like lifetime carbon savings.

In this way, companies can validate the scalability of their models and attract investors who are increasingly attentive to financial returns that go hand in hand with social and environmental returns.

Case studies: RePlanet Energy, RIFO, and Ogyre

Concrete examples demonstrate how the combination of circular platforms and exponential technologies can generate real value. RePlanet Energy has defined its Massive Transformative Purpose as “Enabling Regeneration” and is now providing sustainable energy to Nigerian schools and hospitals, thanks in part to transparent blockchain-based supply chains and the active contribution of employees. RIFO, a Tuscan circular fashion brand, regenerates textile waste into new clothing, supporting local artisans and promoting workplace inclusion, with transparency in the production process as a distinctive feature and driver of loyalty. Ogyre incentivizes fishermen to collect plastic during their fishing trips; the recovered material is digitally tracked and transformed into new products, while the global community participates through tokens and environmental compensation programs.

These cases demonstrate how regeneration and profitability are not contradictory, but can actually feed off each other, strengthening the competitiveness of businesses.

From Net Zero to Net Positive: The Role of Massive Transformative Purpose

The crucial point lies in the distinction between sustainability and regeneration. The former aims for net zero, that is, reducing the impact until it is completely neutralized. The latter goes further, aiming for a net positive, capable of giving back more than it consumes.

This shift in perspective requires a strong Massive Transformative Purpose: an inspiring and shared goal that guides strategic choices, preventing technology from becoming a sterile end. Without this level of intentionality, even the most advanced tools risk turning into gadgets with no impact.

Regenerating business also means regenerating skills to train a new generation of professionals capable not only of using technologies but also of directing them towards regenerative business models. From this perspective, training becomes the first step in a transformation that is simultaneously cultural, economic, and social.

The Regenerative Future: Technology, Skills, and Shared Value

Digital regeneration is not an abstract concept, but a concrete practice already being tested by companies in Europe and around the world. It’s an opportunity for businesses to redefine their role, moving from mere economic operators to drivers of net-positive value for society and the environment.

The combination of blockchainAI, and IoT with circular product-as-a-service models, marketplaces, and incentive tokens can enable scalable and sustainable regenerative ecosystems. The future of business isn’t just measured in terms of margins, but in the ability to leave the world better than we found it.

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Raconteur: AI on your terms – meet the enterprise-ready AI operating model
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
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  • Raconteur, published on November 06th, 2025

What is the AI technology operating model – and why does it matter? A well-designed AI operating model provides the structure, governance and cultural alignment needed to turn pilot projects into enterprise-wide transformation

By Duncan Jefferies

Many firms have conducted successful Artificial Intelligence (AI) pilot projects, but scaling them across departments and workflows remains a challenge. Inference costs, data silos, talent gaps and poor alignment with business strategy are just some of the issues that leave organisations trapped in pilot purgatory. This inability to scale successful experiments means AI’s potential for improving enterprise efficiency, decision-making and innovation isn’t fully realised. So what’s the solution?

Although it’s not a magic bullet, an AI operating model is really the foundation for scaling pilot projects up to enterprise-wide deployments. Essentially it’s a structured framework that defines how the organisation develops, deploys and governs AI. By bringing together infrastructure, data, people, and governance in a flexible and secure way, it ensures that AI delivers value at scale while remaining ethical and compliant.

“A successful AI proof-of-concept is like building a single race car that can go fast,” says Professor Yu Xiong, chair of business analytics at the UK-based Surrey Business School. “An efficient AI technology operations model, however, is the entire system – the processes, tools, and team structures – for continuously manufacturing, maintaining, and safely operating an entire fleet of cars.”

But while the importance of this framework is clear, how should enterprises establish and embed it?

“It begins with a clear strategy that defines objectives, desired outcomes, and measurable success criteria, such as model performance, bias detection, and regulatory compliance metrics,” says Professor Azadeh Haratiannezhadi, co-founder of generative AI company Taktify and professor of generative AI in cybersecurity at OPIT – the Open Institute of Technology.

Platforms, tools and MLOps pipelines that enable models to be deployed, monitored and scaled in a safe and efficient way are also essential in practical terms.

“Tools and infrastructure must also be selected with transparency, cost, and governance in mind,” says Efrain Ruh, continental chief technology officer for Europe at Digitate. “Crucially, organisations need to continuously monitor the evolving AI landscape and adapt their models to new capabilities and market offerings.”

An open approach

The most effective AI operating models are also founded on openness, interoperability and modularity. Open source platforms and tools provide greater control over data, deployment environments and costs, for example. These characteristics can help enterprises to avoid vendor lock-in, successfully align AI to business culture and values, and embed it safely into cross-department workflows.

“Modularity and platformisation…avoids building isolated ‘silos’ for each project,” explains professor Xiong. “Instead, it provides a shared, reusable ‘AI platform’ that integrates toolchains for data preparation, model training, deployment, monitoring, and retraining. This drastically improves efficiency and reduces the cost of redundant work.”

A strong data strategy is equally vital for ensuring high-quality performance and reducing bias. Ideally, the AI operating model should be cloud and LLM agnostic too.

“This allows organisations to coordinate and orchestrate AI agents from various sources, whether that’s internal or 3rd party,” says Babak Hodjat, global chief technology officer of AI at Cognizant. “The interoperability also means businesses can adopt an agile iterative process for AI projects that is guided by measuring efficiency, productivity, and quality gains, while guaranteeing trust and safety are built into all elements of design and implementation.”

A robust AI operating model should feature clear objectives for compliance, security and data privacy, as well as accountability structures. Richard Corbridge, chief information officer of Segro, advises organisations to: “Start small with well-scoped pilots that solve real pain points, then bake in repeatable patterns, data contracts, test harnesses, explainability checks and rollback plans, so learning can be scaled without multiplying risk. If you don’t codify how models are approved, deployed, monitored and retired, you won’t get past pilot purgatory.”

Of course, technology alone can’t drive successful AI adoption at scale: the right skills and culture are also essential for embedding AI across the enterprise.

“Multidisciplinary teams that combine technical expertise in AI, security, and governance with deep business knowledge create a foundation for sustainable adoption,” says Professor Haratiannezhadi. “Ongoing training ensures staff acquire advanced AI skills while understanding associated risks and responsibilities.”

Ultimately, an AI operating model is the playbook that enables an enterprise to use AI responsibly and effectively at scale. By drawing together governance, technological infrastructure, cultural change and open collaboration, it supports the shift from isolated experiments to the kind of sustainable AI capability that can drive competitive advantage.

In other words, it’s the foundation for turning ambition into reality, and finally escaping pilot purgatory for good.

 

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