Firm picks 10 EdTech for fellowship

TANZANIA: SAHARA Consult and the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship picked 10 homegrown startups for the first cohort that is set to transform the country’s education sector.

The two firms took advantage of picking up the startups to inaugurate a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.

The Fellowship is an acceleration programme designed to support promising African EdTech ventures in partnership with innovation hubs and accelerators across the continent.

Sahara Consult Managing Director Nancy Kiondo said that over the next eight months, the country’s inaugural cohort of growthstage EdTech companies will benefit through their mentorship through business and financial support.

“This marks the beginning of a new journey in innovation. Sahara Consult is focused on growing the EdTech sector in the country and working with the Mastercard Foundation will see us increase educational opportunities through technology,” Ms Kiondo said in a statement.

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Last year, solutions by Fellowship cohorts in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya reached 2.6 million learners.

The startups for the 2024 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellows are Shuleyetu Innovations Limited, Mtabe, Smartdarasa Company Limited, Infotaaluma Company Limited and ShuleSoft.

Others are Smartcore Enterprise Limited, Kilimanjaro Planetarium part of Rada 360 Ltd, MITz Group Company Limited, Fiqra Technologies, and Taifa Technovation Hub.

Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning Director Joseph Nsengimana said they hope to increase access to quality, relevant and accessible learning to Tanzania’s and Africa’s underserved learners through locally developed, technology-enabled solutions.

“We look forward to an even greater impact this year,” he said.

Alongside training, the Fellowship will also offer equity-free funding of up to 70,000 US dollars and post-programme support for up to one year after the acceleration programme.

The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world while Sahara is a comprehensive management consulting firm that collaborates closely with industry experts to deliver unparalleled solutions that leverage innovation and digital entrepreneurship.