As African countries push to improve access to quality learning, experts are warning that the continent’s EdTech growth risks stalling without one critical ingredient: reliable data. This message came strongly from Nathalie Niyonzima, Head of Programs, Learning and Innovation at the Mastercard Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, during a recent discussion on the state of education systems across the region.
Niyonzima began by underscoring a fundamental truth: education shapes every life path and every national outcome. Whether a young person chooses a technical career, creative work or formal employment. “A strong educational foundation influences everything we become.” She said. Yet even as digital tools spread globally, African countries continue to face deep gaps in access, quality and system readiness.
Why Africa Needs a New Data Culture in Education
Much of the challenge, Niyonzima argued, stems from how little up-to-date information many governments have on their own education systems. Countries still make policy using outdated or incomplete data. This leaves ministries unable to understand what learners actually experience and what teachers urgently need.
This has real consequences. Without current information, reforms are planned in the dark. Investments miss their mark. EdTech tools fail to match classroom realities. “We know very well that some education data is outdated.” she said, adding that the goal is to help governments shift from reactive decisions to evidence-based planning. Changing this culture requires not only new systems but a mindset shift among policymakers and educators who may hesitate to use digital tools for decision-making.
Building African-Owned EdTech Systems That Work
For Niyonzima, the future of African learning depends on designing solutions that reflect the continent’s real conditions from classrooms with limited devices to countries managing large rural populations. She stressed the need for systems that are flexible, locally-owned and built for African learners. “We need education systems that respond to real challenges and are designed for African contexts,” she noted.
The Mastercard Foundation’s work with ministries aims to strengthen these foundations by building national data systems. They support research capacity and helping teams use evidence to shape policy. The goal is not just to collect information but to create tools that guide planning, implementation and monitoring.
As demand for better learning outcomes rises, Mastercard Foundation experts say the message is clear. Africa’s EdTech future will be shaped not only by innovation, but by the quality of data behind it.
