With nearly 60% of its population under the age of 25, Africa faces unprecedented educational pressure. This dynamic represents a major opportunity, but it also highlights persistent challenges: unequal access to education, teacher shortages, weak digital infrastructure, and a growing need for skills adapted to the changing labor market.

In this context, educational technologies emerge as an essential lever to strengthen the access, quality, and relevance of learning. Yet, despite its high potential, the African EdTech ecosystem remains fragmented, underfunded, and insufficiently integrated into public policies. The market is estimated to be worth between $600 million and $1 billion, while only a small fraction (less than 2%) of the tech venture capital invested in Africa goes to EdTech startups.

Produced as part of the UNDP's timbuktoo Programme and the creation of the Dakar EdTech Hub, the report "Strategic Mapping of the EdTech Ecosystem in Africa" offers a structured analysis of these dynamics. It highlights the diversity of regional trajectories, the priority needs of grassroots actors, and solutions tailored to African realities: mobile platforms, offline-accessible content, SMS-based learning, resources in local languages, and hybrid models.

The study also emphasizes the strategic role of the Dakar EdTech Hub, which is set to help structure the ecosystem, support innovative solutions, foster dialogue between innovation and public policy, and produce evidence-based data on the impact of educational technologies.

This report serves as a reference tool for governments, technical and financial partners, investors, entrepreneurs, innovation hubs, and educational institutions looking to better understand the state of African EdTech and identify the levers needed to scale it up.

Read the full report and explore the dynamic ecosystem map at edtechecosystem.org