Mastercard Foundation Convenes EdTech Conference

An international non-governmental organisation, the Mastercard Foundation has kicked off its inaugural EdTech conference in Abuja.

Speaking in a room of over 500 people, Country director Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, Rosy Fynn, asked, “How do we build resilient and inclusive EdTech ecosystems?” She posed this question to a high-level opening panel: Dr Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy; Joseph Nsengimana, Director, Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning; and Albert Nsengiyumva, executive secretary, Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).

Tijani pointed out the need for a growing literacy agenda where Africans can be digital literates and bridge the connection between the government and the private sector. For Nsengimana, success in EdTech can be achieved when ecosystem players design a forward pathway with inclusivity in mind. One solution is a collaboration between EdTech innovators, telcos, and the government.

Nsengiyumva called for more synergy between policymakers and foundations that invest in education.

The Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Joseph Nsengimana, said conversations about helping EdTech companies are part of the reason the conference is being hosted in Nigeria.

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“We want to bring stakeholders and the government together to have conversations about what is missing,” said Nsengimana on the sidelines of the conference. “What is your wish list? What kind of goals do you want to see that will make your job easier.”

The Foundation plans to facilitate knowledge sharing among the 144 startups it has already supported.