ScholarX technologies, a Nigerian ed-tech startup, has signed a partnership with mobile operator – Airtel Nigeria – to launch LearnAM.
LearnAM is a new mobile learning platform that provides skill training content to improve learning outcomes.
ScholarX will also receive significant support from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion, while leveraging on the expansive retail and digital footprints of Airtel Nigeria to deliver its skill acquisition content.
“The company team expresses profound gratitude to Airtel Nigeria and the GSMA Innovation Fund, sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office,” ScholarX co-founder, Bola Lawal, said.
ScholarX, which was launched in Nigeria in July 2016, allow users to select parameters and scroll through lists of available scholarships that match their requirements.
In the last couple of years, the ed-tech start-up has participated in series of accelerators, including the Cape Town-based Injini ed-tech incubator and the Google Launchpad Africa accelerator, as well as secured pre-seed funding.
Last month, ScholarX announced that it has been selected among nine grantees for the GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion.
As part of the benefits for being among the GSMA Innovation grantees, ScholarX and other winners have gained access to an equity-free grant of between £100,000 to £250,000, which was provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
ScholarX has, in the meantime, announced that it will use the capital to fund key components of its project with Airtel, including platform development, content development and sourcing, and early user adoption.
According to ScholarX, the first edition of the LearnAM app, which was built on KaiOS, will be available on low-cost “smart-feature phones” and will provide content in local dialects – Pidgin English, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa.
The app provides audio and visual content to improve digital and vocational skills of Africans, increasing their chances of getting decent work.
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LearnAM app employs a 360-degree approach – it provides learning opportunities, assessment to measure competency, and a marketplace that connects users to jobs, customers and apprenticeships.
“We are now able to embark on our quest to connect millions of unconnected people in Africa to the Internet and help them get trained in valuable skills for the new digital economy. We are committed to building a more skilled workforce focusing on the growing young, and not-so-young adult population who are looking to upskill or simply improve their standard of living,” Bola Lawal said.
ScholarX will leverage on the expansive retail and digital footprints of Airtel Nigeria to deliver its skill acquisition content.
Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Commercial Officer, Dinesh Balsingh, said Airtel is pleased to partner with a GSMA Innovation Fund Grantee as ScholarX, in developing platforms and opportunities that would inspire and equip young Nigerians with skills.
“At Airtel, we are committed to improving education quality and assisting Nigerians in gaining the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and realize their dreams. We will continue to pursue new collaborations that will change lives and assist more people in being successful,” Mr Balsingh said.