At the 2024 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference, stakeholders push for increased collaboration and inclusivity in leveraging technology for educational priorities

Over 600 delegates comprising education policymakers, education technology (EdTech) stakeholders and key partners convened in Abuja between the 8^th and 12^th of July and examined the state of EdTech and how it can meaningfully contribute to evidence-informed inclusive, quality and resilient educational systems in Africa. Young people also demonstrated how their technical skills are providing solutions for young Africans at scale, including excluded, underserved, and vulnerable groups. Prof. Tahir Mamman, Nigeria’s Minister of Education opened the EdTech Conference, with remarks from Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy. Prof. Peter Materu, Chief Program Officer at the Mastercard Foundation, also gave his opening remarks.

Delegates outlined 10 policy recommendations around increased investment in infrastructure, enhanced collaboration, data-driven decision making, inclusivity and increased engagement of young people. It was two large events fitted into a intense week of conversations, engagements and networking. 

Between Monday 8^th July and Wednesday 10^th July, participants at the EdTech Conference shared and evaluated the evidence and experiences on the state of collaborations within the EdTech ecosystem to build resilient and inclusive educational systems of quality. The sessions also focused on investment opportunities and challenges in positioning EdTech to build tomorrow’s education and the role of EdTech in providing quality data for evidence-based decisions in education. The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in African education also came into sharp focus while deploying a lens of diversity and inclusion. 

From the mid-day of Wednesday, 10^th July to Thursday, 11^th July, the second Mastercard Foundation Ministerial Forum kicked in with senior education policymakers from 11 countries – including Ministers, permanent secretaries, and directors –reviewing the 10 recommendations from the EdTech Conference and showcasingd country plans towards deepening the education-EdTech link for demand-driven solutions. Thus, the Ministerial Forum discussed alignments ofEdTech innovations with existing education frameworks.  

While opening the conference, Prof. Tahir Mamman urged for consistency in collaboration. He said, 

‘Government alone cannot provide for education. Some of the facilities we need to enhance education are in the hands of the private sector. We have people who are large hearted, organisations and individuals, who are prepared to bring into the public domain, their expertise and resources to ensure we get quality services. It is in everybody’s interest to work together. We are all beneficiaries of education.’ 

In a panel on innovating for resilience and inclusion, Dr. Bosun Tijani shared the Nigerian government’s plans to drive inclusive education, including the expansion of the country’s fiber optic coverage and reaching remote areas. 

‘The reason inclusivity is important is to ensure we can build the skills of everyone. Africa is expected to power the global workforce. Hence, we are looking at a collective approach to solve this problem. An example I have been giving is that the government has chosen to invest in 90,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable because we don't want quality internet access to only be available in urban areas or attractive cities and things like that. We want to ensure that wherever you find yourself in the country that you actually have access to quality internet.’

ADEA’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Albert Nsengiyumva, underscored the need for technology to be demand driven. He recommended for greater focus on learners, as education systems adapt and adopt technology. Albert argued that policymakers need to prioritize the needs of learners before going for EdTech solutions. 

‘Let us try to understand what the needs of those learners are and how technology can help to address some of those needs. Not all needs need to be addressed by technology, but at least, a number of them which should be addressed by technology, we should focus on them. Now the question is, how do we address them? This is where the ecosystem comes in., We as ADEA, since 2020, initiated dialogue with countries and Ministries of Education requested our help to develop a comprehensive approach to integration technology in education. Our response was to develop what we call the remote education benchmarking toolkit. The toolkit is a norms and standards. Hence technology in education should be demand driven’.

In his submission, the Director at the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Joseph Nsengimana, noted that technology is the key to unlock access to education and opportunities for most of young people in Africa.

‘Everybody in this room has gone to a school, has been educated. The majority of the successes is due to the education we had. And so, it is really important to enable young people to have the same opportunities like we had. And if you look at education as it is today, we find that without tapping into technology, we will not be able to expand access to this education for a majority of the young people. This is where I see the need for technology. Over 90m people are out of school. How do we use technology not only to strengthen formal education, but to also reach these young people, who currently are not in school, but to give them a second chance and also tap into the opportunity of the gains of education.’

At the Ministerial Forum on Wednesday, Ministers and country representatives took turns to showcase country efforts to deepen EdTech. In a conversation moderated by Mastercard Foundation’s Chief Communications Officer, Dr. Julie Gichuru, Ministers from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Senegal, Benin Republic, Nigeria, Zambia, shared their experiences in leveraging EdTech to reach learners, especially the under-served populations. 

ADEA had a strong representation at the conference and the ministerial forum. Our Executive Secretary shared insights on the panel on building inclusive and resilient educational systems on the first day. On Day 2, ADEA Senior Programs Officer, Shem Bodo, moderated a panel on data-driven educational systems, with a focus on the role of EdTech, including AI, in contributing to quality education and skills data for decision making, and how to strengthen existing national EMIS to embrace EdTech. Shem interrogated country efforts to enhance data use in education delivery in a panel featuring Alpha Bah from The Gambia, Kawirah Gikambi from Kenya, and GPE’s Evans Atis. At the Ministerial Forum, Albert shared insights on aligning technology, infrastructure and data to achieve a wholesome system of service delivery in African countries. 

ADEA also engaged with the 25 country focal persons from the 11 project countries on Thursday the 11^th and Friday the 12^th of July during the Abuja conference, on its education and skills data project. Engagements with the data project focal points from Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Zambia resulted in a clarity about their education and skills data priorities for consideration by the project. These are the first cohort countries, out of the 30 countries, for the five-year education and skills data project supported by the Mastercard Foundation.

The 2024 EdTech conference was an inaugural event. It is expected to take place every two years.