In collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, MEST Africa organised an inspiring Demo Day event on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the Marriott Hotel in Accra, Ghana.
The event marked the achievements of the Mastercard EdTech Fellowship program, a transformative initiative launched in 2019 to revolutionise education across Africa by supporting EdTech startups.
Rodwell Mangisi, Acting Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, 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.
Over the past four years, the EdTech Fellowship has empowered twelve innovative companies from seven African countries, impacting more than 800,000 learners. Speaking at the event, Olufemi Adewumi, Program Director at MEST Africa, noted the initiative’s far-reaching influence, stating, “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 program’s commitment to empowering learners and unlocking the potential of educators and students.
The Demo Day showcased the groundbreaking solutions developed by the fellowship’s first cohort, addressing critical challenges in education. Suraj Shah, Acting Head of Strategic Partnerships and Leadership at the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning expressed his admiration for the progress. He stated that the program had exceeded expectations, noting, “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 urged governments to lend support, emphasising that more could be accomplished with greater collaboration.
The event featured dynamic showcases, with fellows demonstrating their transformative solutions and sharing insights into their journeys. One literacy tutor praised EdTech for how it is motivating students to read by gamifying the process through points and rewards. Meanwhile, a student praised some learning apps for simplifying complex subjects like science, making learning both engaging and accessible.
About MEST Africa
Established in 2008, the Meltwater Foundation is the non-profit arm of the global media intelligence company, Meltwater. Its mission is to create job opportunities and drive economic growth in Africa through software entrepreneurship, primarily via the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa). Based in Accra, Ghana, MEST offers a one-year, specialised tech entrepreneurial training program for top talent from over 22 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Senegal. Additionally, MEST invests in early to growth-stage startups.
In 2020, MEST Programs was launched to forge partnerships with other foundations and organisations that share our goal of creating wealth and jobs in Africa through digital skills training and startup acceleration. MEST Africa has trained over 2,000 entrepreneurs and invested in more than 90 startups across various industries throughout Africa.
Visit www.meltwater.org to learn more.
About the Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. It works with visionary organisations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation is an independent organisation separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa. Its policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by the Foundation’s Board of Directors and leadership.
For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.mastercardfdn.org About the
Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship
The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program designed to support promising, African EdTech ventures. Implemented in partnership with innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa, the Fellowship provides select EdTech companies with critical business and financial support, as well as insight into the science of learning, preparing them for scale, sustainability, and impact. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship was launched in 2019 by the Mastercard Foundation through its Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning with the goal to partner with 12 Tech Hubs to support over 250 EdTech companies and reach at least 1.8 million young people by 2025.
For more information about the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning visit:
https://mastercardfdn.org/all/centre-for-innovative-teaching-and-learning-in-ict/ or
contact: jbiira@mastercardfdn.org
Source: Ameyawdebrah
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