The July edition of EdTech Mondays was a timely and insightful conversation on one of the most pressing issues in Ghana’s education transformation journey: how to turn policies and intentions around digital education into real, functional infrastructure that impacts classrooms across the country.
Moderated by Bernard Avle and aired live on Citi 97.3FM and MEST Africa’s digital platforms, the discussion brought together a powerful and diverse panel of voices from across the policy, innovation, and education space.
At the heart of the conversation was a shared understanding that while Ghana has made impressive policy strides in embracing education technology, the real challenge lies in implementation.
Larry K. Agbador, Deputy Executive Director at the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS), set the tone with a clear call to action: “Anything that has to do with education technology serves as a motivation to learners. It is time we move beyond the framework and invest in practical and scalable interventions in our EdTech space.” His remarks echoed the sentiment that Ghana’s learners, especially in underserved areas, deserve more than policies on paper. They deserve tools, platforms, and teacher support that work in real classrooms.
Joining the discussion was Bernard Nii Lomo, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Nikasemo Technologies, a local EdTech company building context-relevant solutions. He emphasised the importance of consistency and long-term thinking when it comes to regulation and support.
“We need to build sustainable policy modules because EdTech is here to stay, and we have to give our support to it.” His perspective as a practitioner navigating the startup space highlighted the gaps between regulation, innovation, and access to funding, and why those must be bridged for true impact.
From the systems and community development side, Beatrice Owusu Boateng, a Strategic Education Consultant with deep experience in government and development projects, brought attention to the people behind the progress. “Partnerships and community are very important in building and growing tech startups,” she said, noting that success in this space depends as much on collaboration and shared ownership as it does on innovation.
Her call for stronger ecosystems and public-private alignment came at a time when many small-scale EdTech solutions are emerging across Ghana, but struggling to scale sustainably.
Adding a valuable global lens to the conversation, Clo Willaerts, a Belgian tech speaker, author, and trainer, reminded the audience not to overlook the platforms learners already use. “We always imagine our end user being on a laptop, but there are more users on smartphones than laptops today,” she said, challenging EdTech developers and educators to design mobile-first solutions that meet students where they are. Clo’s contribution underscored the importance of human-centred design and digital inclusion, especially in countries like Ghana, where smartphones are often the primary access point for learning.
Together, the panel explored critical issues: What kind of infrastructure do schools actually need? How do we ensure equitable access across rural and urban areas? What should the role of government and the private sector be in scaling up successful pilots? And how do we keep learners at the center of all of this?
One of the biggest takeaways from the discussion was the need to move with both urgency and intentionality. Stakeholders agreed that meaningful change will only come when implementation is backed by coordination, funding, and feedback from real users, teachers, parents, and students. Whether it’s digitizing textbooks, training teachers in blended learning, or building affordable tools that work offline, Ghana’s EdTech future depends on collective action.
As always, this edition of EdTech Mondays was powered by MEST Africa and the Mastercard Foundation, as part of their mission to foster inclusive, quality education and innovation across Africa.
If you missed the live show, you can catch the replay on MEST Africa’s YouTube or Facebook page. And don’t forget to tune in to the next edition of EdTech Mondays on the last Monday of August for another deep dive into the evolving education technology landscape in Ghana and beyond.
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