EdTech Sector Urged to Focus on 36m Unemployed Africans

Experts who spoke at the inaugural Mastercard EdTech Conference in Abuja have advised the EdTech startups in Africa to focus on the 36 million unemployed population in the continent. 

The experts said EdTech startups have emerged as powerful tools, offering innovative alternatives to traditional learning.

These firms, they posited, have harnessed digital platforms to democratise learning, offering hope for a brighter future in the African job market.

At a panel session, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani; Director, Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Joseph Nsengimana and Executive Secretary, Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Albert Nsengiyumva, stressed the need for government and education stakeholders to leverage technology to increase inclusivity among learners.

Tijani stressed the need for a growing literacy agenda where Africans can be digitally iterates and bridge the connection between the government and the private sector.

The minister explained that stakeholders most especially product designers should consider the infrastructure available to implement the stand-alone product.

“The main issue is not a lack of product innovation but the product being adopted as a stand-alone,” Tijani said.