Tech solutions have become handy tools in most sectors. In the education sector, platforms are also proliferating to help learners in their curriculum. 

Ennajah QCM is a digital platform developed by Bibliothèque Ennajah, which allows students in clinical clerkship and residency training access to specialized books and courses. It helps students check their knowledge with multiple-choice questions. 

Ennajah QCM "is a virtual platform that allows quick access to all the MCQs needed to pass the various Setif clinical clerkship and residency evaluation exams. It, therefore, facilitates the simple and accurate review of the skills developed by students,” Bibliothèque Ennajah explains. 

The platform is accessible through a mobile app currently available on Playstore only (the iOS version will be available soon, according to Ennajah). Users have just to register by providing the information required. Once completed, he/she can start answering the multiple-choice questions or even personalize the questions to answer by filtering the sources, courses, modules, exam years, and pass rate. 

Currently, Bibliothèque Ennajah claims 86,616 MCQs on Ennajah QCM and over 10,000 app downloads.  

Adoni Conrad Quenum

Digital jobs are now popular because of the technological revolution, which was accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. In Africa however, there is still a digital skill gap. Some edtech startups want to close that gap.  

GOMYCODE is a teaching concept developed by Tunisian edtech GoMyCode to teach advanced programming and digital courses. It includes a mix of projects and exercises to allow learners to master the skills taught. Half of the courses are taught online and the other half at the 20 offline centers the startup has in its markets, namely Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Nigeria.  

For Amine Bouhlel, co-founder of GoMyCode, the teaching concept has notable impacts. “There are a lot of impact and mass-market players. We are targeting a wide range of students. So our courses are not just for graduates, professionals, or people from a specific social class. [...] GOMYCODE programs target mass markets, and our blended model makes us accessible and affordable, which you don’t see a lot,” he explains. 

The concept is taught by over 500 teachers who teach in 12 languages. The startup has launched more than 25 training paths with professionals. Its fees vary between US$250 (for 3-month courses) and US$750 (for 5-month courses). For every student trained it guarantees placement with one of its over 100 partner institutions. Currently, it claims it has already secured placement for 80% of its over 10,000 learners. 

Currently, the startup plans to attract more than 100,000 learners and open an additional 50 offline centers in Africa and the Middle East in the next two years. For that purpose, early this month (June 2022), it raised US$8 million to expand its presence. Its target markets are South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Saudi Arabia. 

Adoni Conrad Quenum

During the coronavirus pandemic, the number of e-learning platforms exploded. Two Beninise techpreneurs have decided to ride on that trend and revolutionize foreign language learning.  

Nors is a mobile app developed by Benenese startup Phoenix Group, allowing users to learn foreign languages.  The mobile app is available only for Android phones. It has four notable menus. The first is aimed at making the user learn specific words and phrases related to topics like family, emotions, relationships, the human body, and sickness. The second menu is for those who want to learn how to converse. This menu presents a set of conversation scenarios and how to respond. The third menu shows practice videos in which actors practice the real-world conversation scenarios users learned. The fourth menu is for networking, enabling users with common learning goals to practice and converse together. 

To easily attract users, Phoenix Group set a sponsorship program rewarding users with points for every user they invite. The aim is to make Nors the go-to platform for language learning in Africa in the next three years. The app is free for every user, both registered and unregistered. Unregistered users can learn the languages they want through Nors but they cannot access technical resources or interact with the learning community.  

Let’s note that Phoenix Group was founded in 2020, by  Serge Atchoua and Essou Fulgence. Before developing the e-learning platform Nors, it developed Gala Space, a mobile platform on which users can promote their products and events. 

Adoni Conrad Quenum

With a passion for technology and its disruptive power, he surrounded himself with tech talents to implement innovative and impactful projects.  

Cameroonian entrepreneur Vincent Onana Binyegui (photo) is the designer and developer of the solar-powered educational tablet Teachmepad. He distributes the tablets through his startup Teachmepad Mobile Limited, founded in 2016. 

With Teachmepad, he guarantees quality education to every child, notably in rural areas where access to the internet and electricity remains a real challenge. Thanks to Teachmepad tablets, children can access educational content, like Wikipedia, offline.

The tablets were launched to address some of the problems Vincent identified in 2014, during his field research works in the Central African Region when he was still studying at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC). The notable problem he identified was a shortage of teachers in remote areas, where thousands of children are thus deprived of basic education. He then vowed to address the problems using technology. “Teachmepad is a tablet we built to address several challenges facing education in remote areas; notably poor access to the internet, educational contents and electricity, and a shortage of schools,” he explains.

Vincent has a technician certificate in Banking and Finance, a Bachelor of Management Studies, and a Master's in international relations. He started his professional career in 2008 with two consecutive internships at Company Press and Publishing Cameroon (SOPECAM) and LeSage Cameroon (from 2010 to 2011). 

He then dived into the entrepreneurship world in 2012 by co-founding Chartered Finance & Co., a business development and investment firm. In 2014, he launched VOB Research, a startup whose mission is to find tangible solutions to problems encountered by Africans in their daily lives- through technology.  

His positive impact on the strategic education sector -thanks to Teachmepad Mobile Limited- earned him multiple awards and recognitions.  In 2016 he won the Grand Prize of Project Contest organized by DRIMP Youth Forum Foundation and the Bantu Prize of Innovation awarded by the Bantu Development Initiative. The following year, he was featured in Bonjour Idée's list of the Top 5 African Startups of the Year. He also won the Hackathon Award for the best start-up organized during the international forum on digital economy in Cameroon before winning the 2018 Prix Jeunesse de la Francophonie 35.35.

Melchior Koba

During the coronavirus pandemic, several socio-economic activities were halted in Africa. It forced governments to accelerate digital transformation to ensure continuity of public services. Although it was mostly forced on them, the digital transformation seems now to be a key to solving several problems for African countries. For the Malagasy government, the virtual university planned will facilitate access to University courses for thousands of young people. 

Madagascar will soon transform its National Center for Distance Education (CNTEMAD) into a virtual university. In that regard, last Thursday, a tripartite framework agreement was signed by Prof Slim Khalbous (photo, center), rector of the AUF, Elia Béatrice Assoumacou (photo, left), Madagascar’s Minister of Higher Education, and her peer of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Tahina Michel Razafindramalo (photo, right).

The virtual university will be established by creating a virtual network of the CNTEMAD regional centers/agencies, dematerializing administrative tasks, and rolling out an e-learning platform to allow access to the regional centers’ digital resources. 

Under the framework agreement mentioned above, the Francophone University Agency (AUF) will support the project in five key areas. First, it will carry out studies to determine the best options for the projects. Secondly, it will mobilize international experts for the implementation of the project. Then, it will ensure the application of best practices in the management of digital spaces and the development of online courses. It will also train the teaching, technical and administrative staff involved in the project. The last key area is helping the government find international partners and backers for the virtual university project. 

The support provided by the AUF aligns with one of the key focuses of the latters’ 2021-2025 strategy, namely “digital transformation and university governance.”

The virtual university is in line with Madagascar’s digital transformation strategy aimed at leveraging information technology for socio-economic development.  Indeed, with the virtual university, the government wants to facilitate access to university courses for thousands of young people who lack the necessary financial resources to settle in Antananarivo to pursue university studies.  Thanks to the virtual university, they can take university courses anywhere they are in the country. All they need is a connected laptop or smartphone. 

Ruben Tchounyabe

With the acceleration of digital transformation in Africa, the continent will need more human resources with adequate digital skills. With Academia Raqmya, Morocco intends to develop those skills. 

Morocco’s Digital Development Agency (ADD) launched, Tuesday (May 10), the country’s e-learning platform, Academia Raqmya. By launching the platform, Morocco wants to boost digital skills and e-learning.  

For Minister of Digital Transition Ghita Mezzour (photo), who presided over the launching ceremony, Academia Raqmya is a key step in the operationalization of the country’s digital transition. It is “in line with instructions given by Mohammed VI for human capital development,” she added. 

Academia Raqmya is launched in a context marked by accelerating digital transformation in most African countries. As a strategic sector for socio-economic development, training is one of the areas prioritized.  Through the platform, Morocco will offer a range of digital courses allowing learners to acquire new skills and actively participate in the development of the digital economy. With the platform, Morocco also wants to boost digital inclusion. 

To introduce learners to the digital world, the platform offers two programs, namely “digital enhancement,” and “digital literacy.” 

The platform aims to teach 12,500 learners in its first year with 173 courses that make up a total of 1,200 training hours. In its first three months (the pilot phase), it will train 1,350 learners and in the active phase (fourth to twelve months), it will train 11,150 learners to reach its target. 

Ruben Tchounyabe

we are tech africa 

Given his training, one would expect Hossam Taher to create a healthtech, not an edtech. However, his choice proved well-founded as he is now trusted by several investors who are committed to the development of ORCAS.

Hossam Taher is a young Egyptian entrepreneur, CEO, and co-founder of ORCAS, a startup that networks parents and students with nearby tutors through its eponymous mobile app.  

Founded in 2018, ORCAS allows tutors to offer quality training to students in elementary, middle, and high schools with personalized learning plans and assessments. It is “currently working on growing (..) to become the biggest school in terms of hours taught in the world by operating in developing countries on K-12 students,” as Hossam Taher puts it. 

To fulfill its ambition, the startup co-founded by Amira El Gharib successfully raised US$2.1 million, on January 16, 2022, during a pre-Series A round led by NFX Ventures and Access Bridge Ventures.  

Thanks to the funds raised, Hossam Taher plans to add more features to ORCAS, attract more talents and expand into the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan (this year, it is expected to launch operations in Lahore). 

ORCAS was previously CairoSitters. It was founded in 2014, months before Hossam Taher graduated from Cairo University with a BSc in Medicine. From 2014 to 2016, CairoSitters was an “online virtual platform where parents can find, book and manage sessions with high-quality babysitters and tutors.” It was an avenue to offer flexible work opportunities to university students and above all fill the demand for qualified and trusted tutors.  

To address the specific needs of every student, CairoSitters was rebranded as ORCAS with more offers. “Learners today have different needs that edtech companies must cater to. For that reason, we have evolved into a learning platform that offers the complete spectrum of teacher-led & self-paced learning environments,” Hossam Taher explains. 

Melchior Koba

Training is a crucial economic development issue in Africa. The continent currently has the highest unemployment rate, the youngest population in the world, and a high NEET population. The initiative launched by Trace aims to bridge the education gap.

French media group Trace launched, Thursday (April  21), Trace Academia, a free training platform for young Africans. 

The mobile app was officially presented during a virtual press conference hosted on April 21, in Johannesburg. It offers technical and cross-cutting courses covering 15 industries and skills including energy, beauty, fashion, DIY, digital marketing, hospitality, creative arts, journalism, film, technology,  entrepreneurship, public speaking, and well-being.

The courses are developed in partnership with well-known international groups like Orange  Visa, and Google. 

The courses already available are notably Entrepreneurship developed by Valued Citizens and the University of Johannesburg, Becoming a DJ developed by Trace, and Introduction to the Electrical Trade by Schneider Electric. There is also DIY by Leroy Merlin, Tech the Power by MasterCard, Sexual Wellness by Durex, and Introduction to Digital Marketing by Google. French telecom group Orange will also offer ten training modules to showcase digital professions in Senegal, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“To build Trace Academia, we’ve combined our expertise and experience in entertainment with cutting edge learning approaches adapted to the realities and cultures of Africa…We believe that Trace Academia has the potential to positively impact the lives of millions of young people in South Africa and across the continent,” indicated  Olivier Laouchez, Trace Co-Founder and Executive Chairman. 

With Trace Academia (available on PlayStore and AppStore), Trace wants to offer professional and cross-cutting skills to 26 million Africans by 2025. In its 2020 “Report on Employment in Africa (Re-Africa),” the International Labour Organization reveals Africa is the only continent where the labor force is expanding quickly. In 2020, 34.2% of the continent’s working-age population was constituted of young people aged 15-24 against a global average of  23.6%. 

The ILO also estimated that the continent’s unemployment rate (6.8%) was higher than the global average (5%). Africa’s unemployment population was close to 34 million at the time, including 12.2 million people aged between 15 and 24. The organization added that between 2010 and 2020, the unemployed population aged 15-24 grew by 6.4 million in Africa. 

 At the same time, in Africa, the number of young people not in employment, 

education or training (NEET) was four times (53.5 million actually) higher than the number of unemployed youth (aged between 15 and 24).   

Ruben Tchounyabe

 Less than two months after its launch, Kouncel has already piqued the interest of many investors. With his online training courses, the founder wants to contribute his over five years of practical experience to making legal concepts understandable for everyone.

 Ibrahim M. Saleh (photo) is the CEO of edtech Kouncel. A law graduate from the University of Cairo, he co-founded Kouncel in February 2022 to provide legal online training and courses on various topics like arbitration, corporate law, and intellectual property.

On February 28, Ibrahim Saleh successfully raised US$1.2 million from the African Development Bank, the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), the Egyptian Entrepreneurship Development Project (Tanmia wa Tatweer), and Zaldi Capital. The funds raised will allow Kouncel to scale its services in the MENA region. 

 Ibrahim M. Saleh created Kouncel to help companies and lawyers active in the MENA region better understand legal concepts and their specificities. He sees Kouncel as his contribution to the development of his native country, Egypt.  

“Education forms a key part of Egyptian Economic Vision 2030, and law plays an important role in creating a healthy environment for businesses and pushes FDIs forward. And we aim to provide a highly sophisticated education experience to everyone in the legal field which will positively impact the ecosystem,” he says.  

Before Kouncel, Ibrahim M. Saleh founded MLP Legal Academy in 2016 with Mohamed Adel. The educational institutions offers legal training programs to individuals and businesses. With technology, Ibrahim Saleh is reaching a wider audience. 

Melchior Koba

We are tech

The government of Benin has in recent years made e-education a priority. The need for such a system has been highlighted with the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting the government to accelerate the process.

Benin wants to build a solid e-education system inspired by the model used in Côte d'Ivoire through the “Digital School” project. Last March 18, the Higher Education Minister, Eleonore Yayi (pictured) led a visit to the Lycée classique d'Abidjan, one of the sites where the project is rolled out.

With the Minister of Digitalization Aurélie Adam Soule, Eleonore Yayi visited two multimedia rooms and a data center. The first one is equipped with more than thirty computers, two giant touch screens, and last generation cameras and is intended for courses by videoconference. It is interconnected by optical fibers to 149 other sites across the country. The second room, equipped with computers and a high-speed Internet connection, allows students to follow courses remotely. The data center contains all the educational data produced during the courses, the teaching manuals, etc.

The Minister said her department is already in talks with tech giant Huawei to reproduce the Ivorian model in Benin. This measure aligns with the ambitions of President Patrice Talon, the official said. With e-education, the Beninese government wants to give young learners access to experts, the most current research, and the most advanced knowledge. With digital technology, interacting with education professionals remotely will be facilitated. This will enable the country to gradually build a strong human resource to boost growth.

Muriel Edjo