Second cohort of Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship graduates       

…reaching over 70,000 learners

Twelve Ghanaian-owned EdTech start-ups selected for the 2025 Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship – implemented by Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa) – have completed their six-month acceleration programme, recording a nationwide reach of 74,060 learners and 1,152 educators.

The programme concluded with a Demo Day, at which the cohort presented advancements in their solutions and highlighted the significant impact they are making on Ghana’s education landscape.

Through the fellowship, founders received targetted mentorship, strategic business development support and access to a strong network of industry experts and investors. This support enabled the start-ups to refine their products, enhance scalability and develop both online and offline technology-enabled solutions addressing Ghana’s education challenges.

“We are incredibly proud of the dedication, innovation and resilience demonstrated by each of the twelve companies in this second cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship,” said Angela Ankomah Duho, Senior Programmes Manager at MEST Africa. “Their commitment to leveraging technology to improve educational outcomes is truly inspiring. This programme is designed not just to build businesses but also build a sustainable and impactful EdTech ecosystem in Ghana – and this cohort has exemplified that mission.”

The event attracted key stakeholders from government, education and investment sectors, underscoring the Fellowship’s alignment with Ghana’s ambition to build a digitally skilled, future-ready workforce.

The second cohort’s achievements were marked by significant progress in technical innovation and sustainable growth. The Fellows’ solutions have made notable strides in product refinement, user experience improvements and feature expansion to address the evolving needs of learners and educators.

This progress enabled substantial market growth, increasing the penetration of EdTech tools across schools and institutions nationwide. The 2025 cohort placed strong emphasis on impact and long-term sustainability, optimising business models under expert guidance to broaden their reach and scale their offerings effectively.

A major outcome of the Fellowship has been development of strategic partnerships that are strengthening collaboration within the EdTech ecosystem and fostering an enabling environment for innovation.

Launched in Ghana during 2024 as a partnership with MEST Africa, the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship aims to strengthen the country’s EdTech landscape and expand access to inclusive, relevant education through affordable, technology-enabled learning. The programme supports young people – including learners with disabilities, those in refugee or displaced communities and those in marginalised areas – by providing access to locally developed tools that respond to Ghana’s education challenges.

Beyond Ghana, the fellowship is being implemented in eleven other African countries. MEST Africa will run the programme’s third cohort in 2026. Applications are open here.

Established in 2008 as the non-profit arm of Meltwater, the Meltwater Foundation supports job creation and economic growth in Africa through software entrepreneurship. Headquartered in Accra-Ghana, MEST provides intensive, full-time tech entrepreneurship training to emerging talent across more than 22 African countries, alongside early-stage investment in promising ventures.

Through its expanded platform, MESTx, the Foundation delivers digital-skills training and acceleration programmes across the continent. To date, the Foundation has trained more than 2,000 entrepreneurs and invested in over 90 start-ups, contributing to innovation, job creation and the development of Africa’s next generation of tech leaders.

The Mastercard Foundation, meanwhile, is one of the world’s largest charitable organisations. It works with visionary partners to advance education and financial inclusion, enabling young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation operates independently – with headquarters in Toronto and offices in Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar and Addis Ababa.

About the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship

The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an acceleration programme designed to support high-potential African EdTech ventures. Delivered in partnership with innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across the continent, the Fellowship provides selected companies with critical business and financial support, alongside insights into the science of learning to prepare them for scale, sustainability and measurable impact.

Launched in 2019 through the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning, the Fellowship aims to support more than 250 EdTech companies and reach at least 1.8 million young people by 2025.

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