Co-creation HUB (CcHUB), Nigeria’s premier technology innovation centre, has partnered with the Mastercard Foundation to unveil 12 Nigerian education technology startups selected for the fourth cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship. The 18-month accelerator program is designed to back early-stage ventures delivering inclusive, technology-enabled learning solutions across Africa. To accelerate their growth, each participating startup will receive up to $100,000 in equity-free funding alongside comprehensive technical support in product development, communications, and business strategy.
Unlike previous iterations, this fourth cohort places a deliberate emphasis on inclusive education and human-centered design, prioritizing solutions built from the ground up for underserved and vulnerable demographics. The selected startups are organized into four primary thematic areas addressing persistent systemic barriers. For learners living with disabilities, TrainDTrainer Ltd, Talktu, DAWN AI STUDY, and Efiwe are creating accessible tools and teacher-capacity platforms to cultivate inclusive environments. Addressing the needs of rural populations, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and low-resource settings, Ileemore Technologies Limited, Skillup Africa, and Lena are deploying scalable digital infrastructure to expand educational access. Meanwhile, Heels and Tech, NursePadi, Skilladder AI, and Lalitah are focused on empowering girls and young women by enhancing skills development and expanding economic opportunities. Finally, Ribara Analytica is strengthening education and workforce data infrastructure to bridge the gap between learning outcomes and employment pathways.
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Highlighting the vision behind this cohort, CcHUB Managing Partner Nissi Madu noted that the program operates on the premise that crucial decisions regarding inclusion must happen at the earliest stages of innovation. She emphasized that CcHUB’s mission is to help these founders test, refine, and build sustainable, evidence-based businesses capable of scaling their impact. Echoing this sentiment, Wariko Waita, Director of the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) at the Mastercard Foundation, pointed out that effective EdTech serves to redistribute opportunity across the continent by transforming education systems. Since its inception in 2019, the Fellowship has supported 72 African companies, collectively reaching over 700,000 learners the vast majority of whom are children and young people. Through this latest cohort, CcHUB and the Mastercard Foundation aim to ensure no learner is left behind while driving long-term educational and economic prosperity across Nigeria.
Information provided by Edfrica is for awareness purposes only and does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement.
