Rwanda's education leaders, technology entrepreneurs and policymakers have called for stronger collaboration between government, academia and the private sector to accelerate the adoption of locally developed education technologies, arguing that closer partnerships will be essential to achieving the country's digital transformation ambitions.
The consensus emerged during the July edition of EdTech Mondays Rwanda, held under the theme "Public-Private Synergies for Scaling Local EdTech Innovation." The monthly dialogue, jointly organized by the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT and the Rwanda ICT Chamber, examined how coordinated action can help locally built digital learning solutions overcome barriers to nationwide adoption.
Bella Rwigamba, Chief Digital Officer at the Ministry of Education, said the government is increasingly positioning itself as an enabler of innovation by creating policies and partnerships that allow local technology companies to contribute to education reform.
Bella Rwigamba, Chief Digital Officer at Rwanda's Ministry of Education, speaks during the EdTech Mondays discussion on strengthening public-private collaboration to scale locally developed education technologies.
"The future of education cannot be built by government alone. It requires deliberate collaboration with innovators, universities and the private sector to ensure that locally developed solutions address real classroom challenges and can be adopted at scale," Rwigamba said.
She said strengthening public procurement pathways, expanding pilot programmes and creating an enabling regulatory environment would help innovative Rwandan companies move beyond small-scale projects and integrate their solutions into the national education system.
Aurore Hirwa, Chief Executive Officer of EdTech Solutions, said Rwanda's growing ecosystem of education technology startups has demonstrated its ability to build relevant products, but many innovators continue to face obstacles in accessing institutions, financing and long-term partnerships.
Aurore Hirwa, Chief Executive Officer of EdTech Solutions, shares insights on fostering innovation and expanding the adoption of homegrown EdTech solutions in Rwanda.
"Local innovators understand the realities of our classrooms because they design solutions for Rwandan learners and teachers. What many startups need now is sustained collaboration with government and education institutions to validate, refine and scale those innovations."
Hirwa said stronger partnerships would not only accelerate adoption but also help create sustainable business models capable of expanding into regional markets.
Dr. Olivier Habimana, Head of Department for Digitalization and Research at the Higher Education Council, said universities have a critical responsibility beyond teaching by supporting research, validating emerging technologies and nurturing entrepreneurs capable of driving Rwanda's knowledge economy.
Stakeholders at EdTech Mondays Rwanda examine how coordinated public-private action can help homegrown digital learning solutions reach nationwide adoption.
Dr. Olivier Habimana, Head of Department for Digitalization and Research at the Higher Education Council (HEC), discusses the role of higher education institutions in advancing Rwanda's digital learning ecosystem.
"Higher education institutions must become active partners in innovation by generating evidence, validating technologies and equipping graduates with the digital and entrepreneurial skills required to grow Rwanda's EdTech ecosystem."
He said collaboration between universities, researchers and private-sector innovators would strengthen the credibility of locally developed technologies while improving their readiness for deployment across schools and higher learning institutions.
The discussion highlighted Rwanda's progress in expanding digital infrastructure and promoting technology-enabled learning over the past decade, while acknowledging that many promising EdTech solutions still struggle to scale because of fragmented procurement systems, limited institutional partnerships, insufficient research validation and constrained access to investment.
Participants agreed that addressing those challenges will require coordinated action from government agencies, higher education institutions, investors and technology entrepreneurs. The July dialogue concluded that effective public-private collaboration will be central to Rwanda's ambition of becoming a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy, with stakeholders calling for stronger policy alignment, greater investment in local innovators and closer collaboration to ensure homegrown education technologies improve learning outcomes both in Rwanda and across Africa.
