MEST Africa, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, has organised a Demo Day event in Accra to allow young startup companies in education technology (EDTech) to showcase their ground-breaking solutions for the sector.

The event marked the achievements of Mastercard’s EdTech Fellowship programme, a transformative initiative launched in 2019 to revolutionise education across Africa by supporting EdTech startups.

The Demo Day showcased the ground-breaking solutions developed by the fellowship's first cohort, addressing critical challenges in education. 

The event featured dynamic showcases, with fellows demonstrating their transformative solutions and sharing insights into their journeys.

Acting Head of Strategic Partnerships and Leadership at the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Suraj Shah said the programme had exceeded expectations.

"In these eight months, we’ve been overwhelmed by the achievements of the 12 EdTech initiatives here in Ghana. This demonstrates that we are not short of innovative ideas to bridge educational gaps,” he stated.

He urged governments across the continent to lend support, emphasising that more could be accomplished with greater collaboration.

Empowering learners 

Over the past four years, the EdTech Fellowship has empowered 12 innovative companies from seven African countries, impacting more than 800,000 learners. 

Programme Director at MEST Africa, Olufemi Adewumi, highlighted the initiative's far-reaching influence, stating that “Every learner has a network, and through this, the number of impacted individuals could easily rise to 4 million.”

Estimating that it could even be higher than the projected number, Angela Duho, Program Manager at MEST Africa, described the event as a celebration of innovation, collaboration and a shared vision to transform education across Africa through technology. 

She highlighted the programme's commitment to empowering learners and unlocking the potential of educators and students.

Pathway out of poverty

Acting Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Rodwell Mangisi, reiterated the foundation’s focus on education as a pathway out of poverty.

“Since 2008, we have invested most of our resources into education because we believe that training young people can transform lives and help the African continent prosper,” he said. 

He also highlighted the foundation’s dedication to inclusivity, particularly for persons with disabilities, and called for government support to enhance infrastructure and bridge the gap for marginalised learners.