About Cohort 4
CcHUB in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is calling for applications for the 4th cohort of the EdTech Fellowship focused on supporting early-stage innovators developing inclusive, context-relevant solutions that improve learning outcomes and expand access to education for underserved learners. Selected innovators will receive structured support to strengthen their solutions, improve implementation readiness, and expand their reach.
Why This Cohort Matters
Across Nigeria and the continent, many learners face limited infrastructure, disrupted schooling, gender inequities, disability exclusion, and fragmented education data systems. Yet much of EdTech innovation has been built for more stable environments.
The Inclusive EdTech Innovation Cohort is intentionally designed to strengthen solutions built for these realities. It reflects our commitment to backing innovators who serve learners often overlooked by mainstream innovation and who are building practical, inclusive solutions that expand meaningful access to learning.
Application Status
Open
Application Deadline
April 10th, 2026
Who Should Apply?
This programme is for Edtech Startups who are:
- Building for Learners Living with Disabilities
- Building Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and Underserved or Rural Communities
- Building Solutions for young girls and women
- Building for National and Subnational Education Data Systems
What Selected Startups will benefit
Selected fellows will benefit from:
- Product development and inclusive design support
- Mentorship from experts in education, technology and innovation
- Access to ecosystem partners and implementation opportunities
- Strategic guidance to strengthen impact, sustainability and growth
- $100,000 in Equity-free funding
Program Structure
An 18-Month Comprehensive Journey designed to accelerate inclusive
EdTech startups across Nigeria’s diverse educational landscape.
Phase 1: Incubation phase
Startups will undergo a 12-month incubation process with deep technical and implementation support.
Learning Science
Adopting evidenced-based pedagogical principles
Human-Centered Design
Inclusive design practices with target demographics
User Research
Special education, gender inclusion, education systems, and policy.
Product Development
Test solutions in real contexts and strengthen readiness for adoption.
Phase 2: Post-Incubation phase
Following incubation, startups will receive six months of follow-on support focused on growth and sustainability.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Refining business models, pricing, and user acquisition pathways.
Investment Readiness
Workshops and mentorship to prepare for fundraising and pitch to investors.
Distribution & Partnerships
Participation in visibility platforms such as the EdTech Festival, and introductions to key distribution and implementation partners.
Branding & Marketing
Strategic communications support to strengthen brand identity and user trust.
Eligibility Criteria
Identify if your startup is the right fit for our inclusive education cohort in Nigeria. We are looking for founders building the future of accessible learning.
Legal & Operational
Business Registration
Your startup must be legally incorporated in Nigeria, with physical presence in Nigeria.
Nigerian Ownership
The company must be majority Nigerian-owned.
Product & Team
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Be early-stage with either a Prototype (testable build with evidence of early user testing), or an MVP (functional product with verifiable users)
Inclusion Focus
Have an inclusive team, with a commitment to gender balance and be building an EdTech solution aligned with one of Cohort 4’s four thematic areas.
Pilot & Partnership Commitment
An 18-Month Comprehensive Journey designed to accelerate inclusive
EdTech startups across Nigeria’s diverse educational landscape.
Piloting is a core and non-negotiable component of Cohort 4. All applicants must submit a pilot plan outlining:
- Where and with whom the solution will be tested
- The intended learning and user outcomes
- The implementation approach
- Why the pilot is feasible within the program timeline
Selected startups will be expected to:
- Partner with a strategic organisation (e.g., schools, NGOs, community-based organisations, refugee-serving institutions, public agencies)
- Allocate a portion of the equity-free funding toward pilot implementation, based on the approved pilot plan
Problem Statement
Startups applying to Cohort 4 must demonstrate how their solutions address one or more of the challenges identified below.
Solutions for Learners Living with Disabilities
The Problem
Nigerian EdTech platforms exclude learners living with disabilities at the design stage, before questions of cost or connectivity arise. FGD participants emphasized that "most educational videos we have are not made with children with disabilities in mind. They are just coded after making the app,"manifesting in the absence of sign language interpretation, captioning, and audio descriptions. Research confirms that 91% of digital learning content lacks basic accessibility features. For learners with varying cognitive, hearing, and visual disabilities, this creates distinct barriers. Deaf learners face absolute exclusion without sign language interpretation. FGD participants noted that "most of our schools, even in Lagos State, lack specialists. When there is no interpreter, the learner is completely cut off."Visually impaired learners encounter platforms incompatible with screen readers, while learners with cognitive disabilities find no adaptive content addressing diverse learning needs.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed that help learners with varying cognitive, hearing, and visual disabilities gain knowledge and build skills through accessible digital platforms. Nigeria's EdTech sector attracted $200 million in investment between 2020-2024 but built solutions excluding 25 million potential users. Globally, the disability market represents $8 trillion in disposable income.In Nigeria, inclusive design could expand EdTech's addressable market by 3.75 million learners while unlocking an estimated lifetime earning potential of ₦18 trillion for this population.
Teacher Training and Support
The Problem
82% of Nigerian teachers cannot effectively teach students with disabilities.[11] FGD participants rated teacher readiness extremely low: "Even delivering digital instruction for the average Nigerian teacher is difficult. Now you want them to deliver it inclusively. If I were to rate teacher readiness on a scale of 1 to 5, I would say maybe 1.5."[12] Only 14% of pre-service programs include modules on inclusive pedagogy, and fewer than 9% of in-service teachers receive disability-focused professional development.
The challenge is multidimensional. Regular teachers managing classrooms with children of multiple abilities lack skills to differentiate instruction. Teachers with disabilities themselves face barriers, including limited access to continuous professional development and assistive tools needed to teach effectively. Pre-service teacher education relies on outdated concepts. FGD participants noted: "What we were taught in the university is now old knowledge. Even the word 'mentally retarded' is obsolete,"and that "teachers are trained for special schools, not for inclusive classrooms where different needs exist at the same time.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed that train and support teachers managing classrooms with children of multiple abilities, and provide assistance tools for teachers with disabilities. FGD participants emphasized effective models: "Train a deaf person to become a deaf trainer. He understands the learner because he is deaf himself,"[16] highlighting the value of peer-based training and empowering persons with disabilities as knowledge holders
Assistive Tool Maintenance and Support
The Problem
82% of Nigerian teachers cannot effectively teach students with disabilities.[11] FGD participants rated teacher readiness extremely low: "Even delivering digital instruction for the average Nigerian teacher is difficult. Now you want them to deliver it inclusively. If I were to rate teacher readiness on a scale of 1 to 5, I would say maybe 1.5."[12] Only 14% of pre-service programs include modules on inclusive pedagogy, and fewer than 9% of in-service teachers receive disability-focused professional development.
The sustainability challenge extends beyond initial distribution. Participants noted existing low-tech tools are underutilized: "If you have a smartphone, there is text-to-speech there already. I'm not talking about high-tech eye-gaze boards. Even the low-tech ones made from Plexiglas can work."Exclusion is driven not only by absence of technology but also by lack of awareness, training, and intentional use.
The Opportunity
Technology-enabled or hybrid solutions are needed that provide ongoing support and maintenance for assistive tools in special needs schools. These should combine structured training, hands-on assistance, ongoing mentorship, and appropriate technology to ensure devices are not only adopted but used effectively to deliver meaningful learning outcomes.
Continuity of Learning and Livelihoods
The Problem
Exclusion is multilayered across learning contexts. In formal classrooms, 94% of teachers lack training to support diverse learners. At home, 81% of parents have no resources to sustain learning outside school.Beyond formal education, vocational and technical education systems remain inaccessible, leaving learners with disabilities without pathways from foundational learning to employable skills. Less than 8% of persons with disabilities in Nigeria acquire employable skills.
Nigeria's National Policy on Inclusive Education aims to ensure equitable, quality education for all learners,[23] but significant implementation gaps persist. Existing solutions rarely address the full learning journey from foundational learning to employable and entrepreneurial skills. Learners with disabilities face poverty rates 3x higher than the general population[24] and near-total exclusion from formal employment.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed that can be used both in formal education institutions and by caregivers/parents at home to ensure continuity of learning. Additionally, solutions supporting the transition of learners with disabilities into TVET institutions for technical skills and livelihoods are critical to breaking cycles of poverty and enabling economic participation.
Low-Tech/Livelihood Solutions
The Problem
Young people in IDP camps and conflict-affected zones lack pathways from learning to livelihood. FGD participants emphasized this gap: "The biggest challenge is not interest; it is transport money for internships or mentoring sessions far from where they live."Evidence from IDP camps confirms the economic reality—"one or two weeks after distribution, more than 55% of these individuals had already sold the phones"to meet household needs. This is rational economics, not program failure. Training divorced from immediate survival priorities cannot compete with hunger.
Meanwhile, 89% of economic activity in conflict-affected zones is informal, yet skills programs continue designing for formal sector jobs that do not exist in these contexts. With 70% of Nigeria's population under 30 and conflict displacing an additional 300,000 people annually, the urgency is existential: skills must connect directly to income generation and entrepreneurship, or they remain irrelevant to survival.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed to help young people build livelihood and entrepreneurship skills using low-tech or tech-enabled approaches. These solutions must link skills development directly to income-generating opportunities, enabling young people to gain practical skills and transform learning into sustainable livelihoods within informal economic contexts. The solutions should also include features for recognition and portability of learning in order to facilitate re-entry into national education and skills systems without loss of progress.
Affordable Access to Devices and Connectivity
The Problem
Young people in IDP camps and conflict-affected zones lack pathways from learning to livelihood. FGD participants emphasized this gap: "The biggest challenge is not interest; it is transport money for internships or mentoring sessions far from where they live."Evidence from IDP camps confirms the economic reality—"one or two weeks after distribution, more than 55% of these individuals had already sold the phones"to meet household needs. This is rational economics, not program failure. Training divorced from immediate survival priorities cannot compete with hunger.
Meanwhile, 89% of economic activity in conflict-affected zones is informal, yet skills programs continue designing for formal sector jobs that do not exist in these contexts. With 70% of Nigeria's population under 30 and conflict displacing an additional 300,000 people annually, the urgency is existential: skills must connect directly to income generation and entrepreneurship, or they remain irrelevant to survival.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed to help young people build livelihood and entrepreneurship skills using low-tech or tech-enabled approaches. These solutions must link skills development directly to income-generating opportunities, enabling young people to gain practical skills and transform learning into sustainable livelihoods within informal economic contexts. The solutions should also include features for recognition and portability of learning in order to facilitate re-entry into national education and skills systems without loss of progress.
Support Services for Devices
The Problem
Even when devices are successfully distributed, lack of maintenance and repair services significantly limits their lifespan and impact in fragile contexts. Damaged or malfunctioning devices are rarely repaired due to high costs, distance, or limited technical support. Additionally, teachers and facilitators face digital literacy challenges. FGD findings show that effective digital learning depends on educators' ability to adapt tools, navigate digital platforms, and engage learners under unstable, resource-constrained conditions.
Without targeted digital literacy tools and practical technology support, teachers struggle to leverage available devices and platforms. Without sustainable maintenance support, device-based interventions remain short-lived and ineffective.
The Opportunity
Services are needed that provide maintenance and support for devices provided by external entities, including repair services and digital literacy training for teachers and facilitators. These solutions should equip educators with the skills and exposure needed to deliver high-quality instruction and maintain learning continuity in fragile settings.
Offline Learning and Language Barriers
The Problem
Infrastructure fragility makes internet-dependent learning platforms inaccessible. FGD participants emphasized low-tech solutions that work: "During COVID-19, we built an SMS and USSD learning solution… and that enabled us to reach about 1.5 million beneficiaries" precisely because these platforms matched existing phone usage habits and infrastructural limitations. WhatsApp was effective because "as long as you have a mobile phone and it's WhatsApp enabled, you would have WhatsApp on it."
Language emerged as equally decisive. FGD participants stressed: "We make sure that these things are in the language of the immediate environment," but described encountering resistance tied to linguistic identity: "They basically told us, 'You have to speak to him in English or Kanuri; do not speak to him in Hausa.' At the time, what we had was a Hausa book, so when we were going back, we had to make the Kanuri book available as well." Nigeria has over 500 languages, with significant linguistic diversity across conflict-affected regions. Language decisions are not neutral but embedded in local histories and power relations.
The Opportunity
Low-tech/offline solutions are needed that facilitate continuous teaching and learning, enable skill building, and address language barriers for teachers and students in IDP camps and remote areas. These solutions should leverage SMS, USSD, radio, offline materials, and community learning models while ensuring content is linguistically appropriate and culturally legitimate.
Transition from Learning to Earning
The Problem
Nigerian women acquire digital skills but cannot convert them into income. FGD participants emphasized this critical gap: "We are producing skilled women who are still unemployed because the bridge between learning and earning is broken."While 68% of young women express interest in digital careers, only 12% successfully transition from training to paid work within 12 months. This gap costs Nigeria an estimated ₦2.4 trillion annually in unrealized economic participation.
The barrier is structural: 73% of digital skills programs focus exclusively on technical training while ignoring market linkages, entrepreneurship support, and income pathways. Women complete certifications but face dead ends. Young women in Nigeria lag behind men in basic ICT skills, limiting their participation in the digital economy. Nigeria's digital economy is projected to contribute $88 billion to GDP by 2030, yet women represent only 23% of the tech workforce.
Hidden costs compound these barriers. FGD participants explained: "The biggest challenge is not interest; it is to transport money for internships or mentoring sessions far from where they live." 'Free' training programs often overlook indirect costs—transportation, accommodation, connectivity—that shape women's ability to participate and benefit fully.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed that empower women and girls to transition from learning to earning. This includes addressing barriers like transportation for internships through remote opportunities, creating clear pathways to freelancing and digital work, and linking skills training directly to entrepreneurship support and market access.
Flexible Learning and Livelihoods
The Problem
Social norms and time poverty prevent women from accessing digital education. FGD participants described contexts where "families will give the phone or laptop to the boy, not the girl, because the girl is expected to help at home."In 67% of households surveyed across Oyo, Kano, and Borno states, families prioritize device access for sons over daughters.
Women's disproportionate care responsibilities emerged as a critical barrier. Participants noted: "Anything longer than six months is very difficult for women to complete, especially when they are balancing work, family, and caregiving. Classes longer than one hour discourage women because they are usually multitasking."Research confirms that 61% of young women abandon online courses due to time poverty from unpaid care work, which consumes an average of 4.2 hours daily compared to 1.3 hours for men. Training programs with rigid schedules—typically 6-12 month durations with daily sessions exceeding 90 minutes—fundamentally contradict women's lived realities.
FGD participants emphasized the importance of strengthening existing vocations: "Using technology to strengthen existing livelihoods such as fashion, trade, and informal enterprises, rather than only promoting formal tech careers," was considered key to financial independence and broader digital literacy.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed that support flexible learning and skill-building accommodating women's domestic, social, and economic realities. This includes modular program designs, short-duration sessions, and digital literacy training to advance current livelihoods (e.g., tailoring, hairdressing, trade) by integrating technology into existing income-generating activities.
General Education and Policy
The Problem
Fear of harassment keeps 5.2 million Nigerian women away from digital platforms entirely. FGD participants highlighted: "Many women and girls avoid digital platforms because of sexual harassment and cyberbullying, especially when they do not have the skills to protect themselves online."In focus group research, 78% of young women cited online sexual harassment, cyberbullying, and privacy violations as primary reasons for avoiding digital learning spaces. Among women who do engage online, 43% have experienced direct harassment.
Limited digital literacy compounds vulnerability. Gender gaps in basic ICT skills reduce women's access to online employment opportunities and digital services, reinforcing their exclusion from the digital economy. When women avoid digital platforms due to safety concerns, they miss 76% of remote work opportunities and 89% of freelancing pathways.
Beyond safety, women need access to empowering education on health, finances, legal rights, and awareness of gender-responsive policies. FGD participants emphasized the need for platforms to share new gender or affirmative policies and create supportive ecosystems for women's digital participation.
The Opportunity
Solutions are needed offering general education interventions for empowerment (health, finances, legal rights, online safety) and platforms to share new gender or affirmative policies. These should include comprehensive digital literacy and online safety training, enabling safe, confident, and sustained participation in digital learning and economic activities.
Transition from Learning to Earning
The Problem: Data Collection Breakdown
An interview with the Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) revealed that despite digital platforms, "the collection process itself is a problem to us. The system is workable, but we have issues." School-level compliance remains critically low, with "teachers supposed to come with their Android phones or tablets, and they will just come without anything. They will say, 'Madam, we are more familiar with papers.
Data collection requires physical supervision: "I had to send my staff. They move from LGA to LGA to gather all the teachers and headmasters and help them enter the data."Even tablets provided remain unused; "we were able to acquire, like, 1,150 tablets. But some returned it inside the packaging."Teachers cite connectivity costs: "They will tell you, where is the money for data? We don't have money, so we cannot input anything."
Insecurity compounds challenges: "Most of the schools are closed down… you go to school and the school is empty." Annual census data arrives 4-6 months late, making it obsolete for planning. Private schools, representing 35% of enrollment nationally, participate minimally. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) requires data on 68,000+ schools,[70] yet authorities cannot access complete datasets due to fragmented institutional responsibilities.
The Opportunity
The Problem: Limited Access and Analysis State education boards submit data upward but cannot access it for their own planning. The NSUBEB official explained: "The information goes directly to them… nothing comes to NSUBEB. We only see the dashboard and the summary of how many schools have registered."[71] Analysis is delayed: "They don't do the analysis immediately. It takes time," creating delays of 3-6 months before state planners can interrogate data or make evidence-based decisions. Institutional coordination gaps compound the problem: "Secondary schools are under the Ministry of Education… reaching out to them is always difficult,"yet "UBEC will insist that we collect junior secondary data, but the schools are not under us." Additionally, "only one private school registered under the annual school census." Without real-time visibility into teacher attendance (absenteeism averages 23% nationally), infrastructure gaps (34% of schools lack functional toilets), or learning outcomes (67% of primary 3 students cannot read with comprehension), state authorities cannot target interventions or allocate resources efficiently. The NSUBEB official emphasized: "The chairman wants something that, when he sits in his office, he can monitor teachers in the field." The Opportunity Solutions are needed that: • Support government data gathering objectives: Streamline school-level data collection at the subnational level, simplify reporting processes for teachers and headteachers, and generate accurate, timely, and actionable education data. • Enable ease of analysis, visualization, and access: Improve access to detailed datasets for state-level authorities, provide real-time data visualization and analytical tools, and empower subnational actors to interpret and act on education information effectively. • Support approved public data access: Create mechanisms for validated, timely access to education data by authorized state and local government education authorities, enabling evidence-based decision-making without compromising data integrity or privacy.
How to Apply
Step 1: Click the Apply Now button below to access the application form.
Step 2: Complete the online application by filling in all required details about your startup, solution, and impact.
Step 3: Review your responses and ensure your information is accurate and complete before submission.
Step 4: Submit your application on or before 10th April 2026.
Applications will be reviewed in 3 stages
1. Assessment
In this stage, the Edtech solutions will be assessed on the following criteria:
- Problem/Solution Fit
- Founder Potential
- Business Model Fit
- Traction
2. Evaluation
Selected EdTech solutions from the first stage will be assessed based on the following criteria:
- Scalability
- Long-term plan / Vision
- Competitive Advantage
- Team Potential
3. Interviews
The final stage will be an interview with applicants who have successfully gone through the assessment stage. A final selection will then be made, subject to due diligence.
