JOHANNESBURG: Education technology accelerator Injini has launched an eight-month venture-building and incubation programme aimed at developing artificial intelligence tools for classrooms across nine Southern African countries.
The programme, supported by Coefficient Giving, will select 12 pre-formed teams from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The selected teams will spend five months validating education problems, designing solutions, developing AI-powered minimum viable products and testing them with learners and educators, Injini said.
Five of the 12 teams will then advance to a three-month incubation phase, with each receiving $25,000 in equity-free seed funding. The total funding commitment for the five ventures will be $125,000.
The incubation phase will focus on product refinement, user testing, measuring educational impact, developing go-to-market strategies and strengthening financial models, according to Injini.
The programme is targeting five areas: foundational learning; teacher capacity and classroom support; learner pathways and futures; inclusion and access; and education ecosystem and engagement.
Injini said the programme is intended to support the development of education technology that reflects the conditions and needs of African classrooms.
Krista Davidson, Injini’s executive director, said Africa remains underrepresented in the data used to train artificial intelligence tools, creating a risk that education products developed elsewhere may not adequately address local needs.
“We risk EdTech that simply doesn’t work for African classrooms,” Davidson said, according to Injini.
The programme will therefore require participating teams to combine technical, education and commercial expertise. Teams are expected to include a builder capable of developing the product, a person with direct or deep knowledge of the education problem being addressed, and a commercial or operations lead.
Unlike many conventional startup accelerators, applicants do not need to have an existing product or operating company. The programme is aimed at teams at the ideation stage with a developed concept addressing an African education challenge.
Teacher Shortages and Access Challenges
The initiative comes as education systems across the region face challenges including teacher shortages, foundational literacy gaps, linguistic diversity and limited access to digital infrastructure.
AI tools could potentially support teachers by helping with lesson preparation, learning materials, assessment and personalised educational content.
However, technology adoption remains constrained by access to electricity, internet connectivity and affordable devices, particularly in underserved communities.
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Injini’s programme includes user testing and impact measurement intended to determine whether the products being developed deliver measurable value in actual classroom environments rather than simply demonstrating technical capabilities.
Applications opened on September 7, 2026, and are scheduled to close at midnight on September 27. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, with successful applicants expected to be announced in October.
The venture-building phase is scheduled to run from November 2026 to March 2027, followed by the three-month incubation phase from April to June 2027.
The programme will be delivered primarily online, although participants will be required to attend several in-person engagements in Johannesburg. Injini said travel and accommodation would be covered for up to three team members per team.
The initiative is part of a growing push to develop locally relevant artificial intelligence and education technology solutions across Africa, where educators and policymakers are increasingly examining how AI can supplement existing education systems while addressing persistent resource constraints.
