Corporate Ilupeju: Model United Nations Academy, MUNA

Model United Nations Academy, MUNA, is a non-partisan, UN-supported training outfit that offers internationally recognized development courses for students to develop the relevant skills needed for the 21st Century business world, workplace and political terrain. Having started in Ilupeju a few years back, MUNA has gained international recognition.

 Tell us about your organisation and how it started?

At a point, we realised that a lot of our people would rather resort to violence in resolving issues instead of dialogue. We thought of effecting a change and in doing this, we realised we needed to start from the very foundation – the children and youths. MUN Academy (MUNA) was conceived in the fall of 2017, weeks after Mr. Anare, the founder, had been certified as a MUN Director from Germany.

However, we had a major hurdle in getting into public schools. We had followed due process, observed protocols and submitted letters to the necessary stakeholders, especially to the office of the Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Government. But we did not receive any reply even till date. It became quite difficult to do anything with the public schools. But instead of waiting in vain, we decided to set up a training centre and expand our curriculum to accommodate relevant 21st Century skills. Members of the public from anywhere in the country can participate and benefit from the skills. We have also incorporated the Sustainable Development Goals into our curriculum fully; especially Goals 4, 5 and 11 which are Quality Education, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment and Sustainable Cities and Communities respectively.

But employing the Model United Nations, MUN, as the platform to deploying these skills and naming the school after it (MUN Academy), is informed by Mr Anare’s six-year experience (2010-2015) in Temple School as the pioneering MUN Director of Temple Model United Nations, TempleMUN, which still exists today in the school. There, he saw how students’ lives were transformed through learning the skills of negotiations, lobbying, diplomacy, public speaking. He experienced how the impossible became possible, so much so that some of the students who would have been denied admissions to the school were given admissions on the account of MUN; and some others went ahead to study International Law and Diplomacy, because they were inspired by the possibilities they observed during their MUN participations.

What influenced the choice of the business amongst many others?

The need for good governance in Nigeria and Africa is a matter of urgency and this is what influenced the choice of the business. The desire for social change and community development also informed our decision to go this route. 

Where are you located in Ilupeju and why did you choose Ilupeju for location?

This journey started in Ilupeju with Mr. Anare as the MUN Director in Temple School, Ilupeju, but we have since operated from different locations like Lekki, Allen and currently, we are in Anthony, a stone’s throw from Ilupeju. We do this in order to meet the demands of different target groups.

What products and services do you offer and who are your clients?

We offer educational services which include training, consultancy, social development in areas of governance, policy and public speaking to secondary school students, university undergraduates, government officials, and professionals. The goal is to raise, train and equip them with the necessary tools that can make them solve some of the issues plaguing the continent.

Do you have branches now? If yes, how many and where are they located?

We don’t have branches for now but we extend our programmes to different parts of the country based on request.

Do you have any project you are currently working on?

As a Model United Nations organization, we are expected to follow the trends of the UN. Currently we are working on some of the Sustainable Development Goals pr ojects, Goals 4, 5 and 11, as mentioned earlier.

What would you say are the fundamental ideals of the company?

To enhance regional, national, community, and personal development through practical, hands-on training and community development based projects. People who have gone through MUNA become a part of our think-tank community that proffers solutions and recommend policies for government and organizations around Africa. The fundamental ideal of our company is empathy and we put this in practice when we encourage our students to share their opinion in class. For our staff, we communicate empathy by being sensitive to their needs, as well as the needs of the community we take up for development.

Is the company involved in any corporate social responsibility?

We partner with nongovernmental organizations like the Initiative Hub for African Development (IHAD) to embark on projects that enhance community development in areas related to educating people, and community service among others.

Could you tell us some of the challenges the company has faced or still facing?

The system of education in Nigeria has made parents more interested in allowing their children to be engaged only in their schools. Also, parents are relatively uninformed of the benefit of our academy. So, we constantly seek new ways of educating parents on the benefit of our academy. In the past, we faced a challenge of funding because we could not receive international grants and support. We have dealt with this by creating new means to generate funds for running the organization.

What would you say gives your organization that competitive advantage?

Our focus in Africa’s development is what gives Model United Nations Academy an advantage. What we do here is to expose our students to governance policies in developed countries; tell them the realities Africa is currently facing, and show them initiatives they can take to contribute to Africa’s development. In addition to this, we organize international visits to Model United Nations headquarters in the United States and this gives them the opportunity to debate at the global level. Also, our teaching style is different, unlike the traditional school system where teachers try to impose what they know on the students, at MUNA learning is student-centered. We guide children to think for themselves and this is what we call developing critical thinking.

Are there any certifications/accreditations that your companies have from government or regulatory bodies?

Our organization, Model United Nations Academy is an international organization and we are proudly supported by the United Nations Headquarters, New York.