EdTech Specialist / Developer

Education technology products

What this life looks like

You use technology to transform how people learn. EdTech specialists and developers build the platforms, tools, and content systems that deliver education at scale — from learning management systems and online course platforms to AI tutors, adaptive assessments, and educational games. In Africa, where quality education reaches too few people and where millions of learners are accessing learning resources on mobile phones for the first time, EdTech has transformative potential.

What she actually does

You design and build educational technology products — learning platforms, mobile apps, content management systems, and assessment tools — conduct user research with learners and educators, develop educational content frameworks, work with subject matter experts to create learning content, test products with real learners, integrate data analytics to track learning outcomes, and iterate based on evidence about what actually improves learning.

Where you can work

Sector	Places in Africa
African EdTech Startups	uLesson (Nigeria), Eneza Education (Kenya), Atingi (South Africa), M-Shule (Kenya) — African EdTech builders
International EdTech	Coursera, Khan Academy Africa, Duolingo — global platforms expanding Africa operations
Development Finance	USAID EdTech, FCDO education technology — development funders building digital learning infrastructure
Your Own Platform	Building your own EdTech product — accessible through Thinkific, Teachable, or custom development

Why it matters in Africa

Africa has over 800 million people without post-secondary education and acute teacher shortages across primary and secondary levels. Mobile-delivered education is reaching learners who would otherwise have no access to quality content. Companies like uLesson, Eneza Education, Atingi, and Andela's training platforms are demonstrating what African-built, African-focused EdTech can achieve. The combination of acute educational need, growing mobile internet access, and a young population creates one of the world's most important EdTech markets.

Your pathway in

Build technical skills: EdTech development requires software development skills (web and mobile) combined with understanding of learning design principles
Study instructional design: how learning actually works — spaced repetition, retrieval practice, worked examples — is foundational for building EdTech that improves outcomes rather than just delivering content digitally
Gain experience with existing EdTech platforms: understanding how Moodle, Canvas, or Google Classroom work builds practical knowledge
Connect with edtech communities in Africa: the EdTech Hub Africa, Eneza Education, and African EdTech networks share research and practice
Consider the specific constraints of African learners: low-bandwidth environments, mobile-first users, and multi-language needs shape effective African EdTech design

Skills you will need

Software development (web/mobile)
Instructional design and learning science
User research with learners
Content management systems
Data analytics for learning outcomes
Low-bandwidth optimisation for African contexts

A woman in this field

Nelly Cheboi

Kenya

Nelly Cheboi is a prominent Kenyan social entrepreneur, software engineer, and the CEO and co-founder of TechLit Africa. She achieved widespread global recognition when she was named the 2022 CNN Hero of the Year for her impactful work in bridging the digital divide for rural African children. Driven to eliminate intergenerational poverty through the digital economy, she quit her lucrative US tech job in 2019. Alongside fellow engineer Tyler Cinnamon, she co-founded TechLit Africa.

Research the EdTech Hub Africa at edtechhub.org — they publish research and case studies on what EdTech interventions actually improve learning outcomes in African contexts, which is essential grounding before building anything
Study instructional design basics: the book 'Make It Stick' by Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel summarises the cognitive science of learning and explains why most traditional and EdTech approaches to education are less effective than they could be
Explore existing African EdTech platforms as a learner: using uLesson, Eneza Education, or Atingi as a student gives you direct insight into the user experience and the product decisions that have been made
Build a small educational tool: a quiz, a flashcard set, or a simple web-based lesson — even low-fidelity prototypes teach you about the instructional design decisions involved in EdTech development