Sierra Leone Telegraph: 16 March 2026:
Mwanga wa Elimu has announced the 12 leaders who make up its founding cohort of Luminaries. Drawn from the African continent, the group comprises government ministries, regional education bodies, technology developers, research organisations, and educators.
Together, they form the founding coalition of the movement launched at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on February 10th, 2026.
Mwanga wa Elimu was established as a mobilisation vehicle for the AUDA-NEPAD Africa EdTech Vision & Plan 2030, enabling the collective action needed to make that Vision a continental reality. The Vision commits to ensuring every African learner has equitable access to world-class, localised digital learning by 2030 and will be delivered through an interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure for Education (DPI-Ed).
The AUDA-NEPAD Africa EdTech Vision & Plan 2030 was developed to solve a specific, persistent problem. Despite billions of dollars invested in EdTech across Africa over the past two decades, hundreds of millions of children still cannot read, write, or perform basic arithmetic at grade level. The reason is fragmentation.
Brilliant solutions remain trapped in silos — limited by incompatible technical standards, misaligned policy frameworks, and commercial models that cannot sustain scale.
The Founding Luminaries have committed to working together to end this fragmentation by building a unified ecosystem on shared infrastructure.
“Mwanga wa Elimu connects me with a community of visionary leaders committed to equitable, technology-enabled learning, and it strengthens my resolve to champion EdTech as a catalyst for transforming education across Africa.” — Nathaniel Cisco, Assistant Minister for STEM/TVET and Inclusive Education, Ministry of Education, Liberia
The Founding Luminaries
Twelve leaders from across Africa and beyond have signed the Manifesto as Founding Luminaries, representing all five stakeholder groups: policymakers, investors and funders, developers, researchers, and educators.
The Founding Luminaries are:
| Leonard Mgcibelo Tsela (Senior Inspector of Schools for ICT, Ministry of Education and Training, Eswatini) | Nathaniel Cisco (Assistant Minister for STEM/TVET and Inclusive Education, Ministry of Education, Liberia) |
| Michael Wachira (CEO, Virtual Essence Limited, Kenya) | Professor Sir Michael N. Nkwenti (Lead Inspector of Pedagogy, Educational Technologies, Ministry of Basic Education, Cameroon) |
| Peter Bushnell (Teacher Trainer and National Trainer for ICT Integration, Kenya) | Dr. Joshua Valeta (President, Distance Education Association of Southern Africa, Malawi) |
| Kagendo Salisbury (Director of Marketing and Communications, Partnership for Education, Cambridge University Press and Assessment, UK) | Dr. Mmabaledi Kefilwe Seeletso (Director, SADC Centre for Distance Education, Botswana) |
| Momodou Jeng (Director of Curriculum Research and Evaluation, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, The Gambia) | Benicio Arnindo (Head of IT Department, IEDA, Ministry of Education and Culture, Mozambique) |
| Prof. Smile Dzisi (Deputy Director General, Ghana Education Service, Ghana) | John Kimotho (Head of Office Africa, Spix Foundation, Kenya) |
“I see Mwanga wa Elimu as a powerful catalyst for promoting EdTech in transforming education across Africa — bridging gaps in access, personalising learning, and equipping learners with future-ready skills.” — Prof. Smile Dzisi, Deputy Director General, Ghana Education Service
“I am ready to play my part and say yes to more interactive and digital learning environments through Mwanga wa Elimu.” — Dr. Mmabaledi Kefilwe Seeletso, Director, SADC Centre for Distance Education; DEASA Executive Secretary, Botswana
“Joining Mwanga wa Elimu allows MsingiPACK to contribute to a greater vision. It aligns perfectly with my mission to ensure every child in Africa can learn wherever they are.” — Michael Wachira, CEO, Virtual Essence Limited (MsingiPACK), Kenya
What Comes Next
The Founding Luminaries have been inaugurated. Over the coming months, the movement will continue to grow its network of committed leaders and begin co-creating the policy, developer, and teaching tools that will make DPI-Ed a practical reality across African member states.
This work will culminate at eLearning Africa 2026 in Accra, Ghana, where Mwanga wa Elimu will convene Luminaries, present early outputs, and open the movement to wider participation for the first time.
To stay informed as the movement grows, visit www.mwangawaelimu.org
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