Strengthening investment in the African education ecosystem

As part of SA EdTech Week 2025, Injini hosted an intimate investor breakfast alongside Wesgro, who partnered with us on this session and across the week. We brought together investors, policymakers, innovators, and education leaders for a focused conversation on a question many of us sit with daily: how do we align our efforts so that investment, innovation, and implementation pull in the same direction?

What followed was a thoughtful exchange. People spoke candidly about what they are seeing in the sector, what is getting in the way, and what could unlock better outcomes.

Moving from siloes to a shared agenda

A clear theme was the need to work as an ecosystem rather than as separate parts. When government, ministries, school districts, EdTech providers, teachers, parents and caregivers, and funders operate in parallel, progress becomes slower and less consistent.

Participants pointed to a practical gap that keeps showing up. Funding decisions are often made far from the realities of classrooms and school communities. Closing that distance matters. Stronger alignment between capital, policy, and day-to-day teaching and learning is one of the most important levers available to the sector.

Holding the full Context of education

Another insight that surfaced repeatedly was that education is shaped by more than curriculum and technology. It sits inside social, historical, political, economic, and lived realities. Those realities influence what learners and teachers can realistically adopt, use, and sustain.

A nuanced lens does not mean overcomplicating the work. It means being willing to reframe questions when old ones are not getting us closer to answers. It also means paying attention to “low-tech” barriers that can determine whether an intervention succeeds, from connectivity and infrastructure to the lived experience of educators and learners on the ground. Several voices highlighted the tension the sector holds: education is a complex system, yet our solutions need to simplify and support, not add new layers of burden.

Financing that supports long-term impact

Sustainability came up often, especially in relation to capital. The conversation emphasised that private capital has a role to play, but it cannot be the only tool. The ecosystem needs access to different kinds of capital, and more creative approaches to financing, if we want meaningful solutions to last.

The group also raised Early Childhood Development as a priority area that deserves more serious investment attention. ECD is foundational, and participants urged that it should be positioned more clearly as an investable sector.

Turning information into insight

The final thread was data. Many agreed that EdTech generates plenty of information, but the sector still struggles to translate that into shared insight. Fragmented data makes it difficult to track outcomes consistently or to build on what is working. A more centralised, outcomes-focused line of sight could help stakeholders make better decisions and scale solutions with greater confidence.

Alignment begins with shared understanding

What stood out most from the session was the energy in the room, thoughtful, generous, and grounded in a shared commitment to improving education. Bringing diverse voices to the same table helped surface where misalignment still exists and where intentional connection can shift the work forward.

At Injini, we are excited to keep convening forums like this. Creating space for clearer communication across the education innovation ecosystem is part of how we build bridges between ideas and impact, and strengthen collaboration that leads to more aligned action and stronger outcomes for learners.

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