While many African classrooms continue to center instruction around textbooks and rigid curriculums, we continue to ask: Are we truly equipping our learners with the skills, mindset, and adaptability needed to thrive in a rapidly changing, tech-driven world? As the demands of the 21st century evolve, so too must our approach to learning. This episode explores the urgent need to move beyond rote learning and reimagine education through the lenses of context, identity, and innovation. In this epis...
Jun 29, 2025•57 min•Season 3Ep. 64
In this episode, Kwame speaks with Dr. Vida Awinime Bugri, a dedicated researcher and passionate advocate for gender equity in STEM education. With teaching experience in France and a strong commitment to social justice, she has seen firsthand the systemic challenges women face in STEM fields. This insight inspired her to establish Eduvision, an NGO focused on empowering, mentoring, and training women in STEM across Ghana. In this conversation, Vida discusses her research on ‘The Impact of STEM ...
Jun 18, 2025•51 min•Season 3Ep. 61
Could the solutions to learning crisis already exist within education systems? In this episode, Aml speaks with Jessica Bergmann, an Education Research Specialist at UNICEF Innocenti, on the Data Must Speak positive deviance research. For the past 3 years, Jessica has been supporting this initiative, which empowers school actors as change agents and aims to harness existing data and local solutions to improve learning outcomes. The DMS positive deviance research is being implemented in 15 countr...
Jun 16, 2025•34 min•Season 3Ep. 63
Education research in Africa has long been a crucial aspect of shaping the continent’s future. However, the dominance of Western-led research initiatives has often led to a lack of locally relevant evidence to inform policies and practices. In this episode, Senyo speaks with Dr. Lucy Wakiaga, Associate Research Scientist at African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC). Dr. Wakiaga shares her insights on the importance of locally led research in enhancing education outcomes in Africa, em...
May 11, 2025•39 min•Season 3Ep. 62
Data is the backbone of informed decision-making in education; and in today's data-driven world, it is more crucial than ever for educators to stay ahead of the curve and leverage data to drive student success. Building on this imperative, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) launched the Tackling Education and Skills Data Challenge in Africa project, a 5-year initiative aimed at supporting 30 African countries to produce and use quality data on education and skills ...
Apr 15, 2025•39 min•Season 3Ep. 60
The strategic integration of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education have shown promising results globally. But what are the implications, opportunities, and challenges of these emerging fields in African educational contexts, and how can AI be harnessed in the continent’s education system? In this episode, Kwame explores these questions with Emmanuel Mawuli Kanati, a renowned Data Specialist and Researcher. Emmanuel shares his insights on the pioneering research applications ...
Mar 30, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 59
Kids Club Kampala is a children's charity organization founded in 2009 by three friends, Olivia, Sam, and Corrie. The organization improves livelihoods of children and families in Kampala's slum areas through three main programs: education, child protection, and family strengthening.In this episode, Aml speaks Olivia Barker White, Co-Founder and CEO, who shares the inspiring story behind Kids Club Kampala and provides insight into the organization's programs. Tune in to learn about the life-chan...
Mar 16, 2025•39 min
In this episode, Senyo Speaks with Esther Tawiah, Director of the Gender Centre for Empowering Developments, as they delve into the critical topic of Decolonizing Higher Education in Africa. Esther shares her insights on the need to break free from imposed educational systems and create a path that reflects African value and knowledge. The episode also explores the delicate balance between embracing modernity and preserving traditional ways of knowing. Tune in to listen.
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Can education make a meaningful contribution to peacebuilding efforts? Is education enough to achieve a lasting peace, or are other factors also necessary? In this episode, Senyo speaks with Timothy Dziedzom Amaglo-Mensah, research assistant at the University of Glasgow and co-host on PeaceEd Chat about his research on “The Purposes of Education in Peacebuilding: Views of Local Peace Actors in Diverse (post-) Conflict Societies. Timothy elaborates on the distinct ways in which education can fost...
Feb 16, 2025•38 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Education is a powerful tool for transformation in Africa, but the sector faces a critical challenge: a legacy of colonialism that has shaped the continent’s higher education systems. As the continent strives to reclaim its cultural identity and address its unique challenges, the need to decolonize higher education has become increasingly urgent. But what does this mean in practice?In this episode, Senyo speaks with Pauline Essah, Chief Impact Officer at Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), to e...
Feb 02, 2025•45 min•Season 3Ep. 55
Inspiring teachers is a leading organization committed toempowering teachers with exceptional support, enabling them to deliver high-quality lessons and enhance student learning outcomes. Through evidence-based approaches, they have positively impacted thousands of teachers across Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on foundational literacy. Their teacher development programs have spanned multiple countries including Uganda, Zambia, and Ghana. In this episode, Aml speaks with Simon Graffy, Co-Found...
Jan 12, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 54
For 20 years, Sabre Education has championed quality of education in Ghana, providing children with the best possible early childhood education through comprehensive teacher training, transforming school learning environments, and advocacy. In this episode, Senyo speaks with Robert Quansah, Senior ECE Technical Manager at Sabre Education to evaluate the organization’s Fast track transformation teacher training program aimed to build capacity of teachers to improve teaching practices and learning...
Dec 11, 2024•44 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Artificial intelligence has brought significant transformation worldwide, but beneath the surface, a concerning bias exists. AI systems are largely designed with a Western perspective, overlooking the rich cultural heritage and knowledge of indigenous communities, especially across the Sub-Saharan region. This raises a critical question: How can we create a more inclusive system that harmonizes Western and indigenous knowledge?In this episode, Senyo speaks with Dr. Yaw Ofosu Asare, delving into ...
Nov 24, 2024•44 min
In today's rapidly evolving technological terrain, research is undergoing a transformative shift. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the research process, streamlining workflows, and enhancing outcomes. In this episode, Kwame speaks with Dr. Philip Adu, a renowned researcher and founder of Research Methods Consulting, as he addresses key research challenges, and shares expert insights on navigating research complexities, leveraging AI, and ensuring research quality....
Nov 10, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 51
For decades, poverty, abuse, and abandonment have driven a growing number of African children to live on the streets. Since 2008, Street Child has worked tirelessly to ensure these vulnerable children are safely enrolled in schools and receiving an education. With remarkable success, they've transformed over 250,000 lives in Sierra Leone alone, providing access to quality basic education through rigorous research and innovative approaches.In this episode, Aml speaks with Kelfa Kargbo, CountryDir...
Oct 27, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 50
As the world increasingly shift towards digitaltransformation, Heather Beem, CEO and Founder of Practical Education Network (PEN) conducted research to assess the feasibility, effectiveness and impact of transitioning STEM teacher training in Ghana from traditional in-person to fully online. In this Episode, Kwame speaks with Heather to explore the key findings of the research and discuss effective strategies to fostering STEM engagement, particularly among young learners. Read the full publicat...
Oct 13, 2024•46 min•Season 3Ep. 49
The Jacobs Foundation is collaborating with Edlabs across four countries to enhance evidence use in education policy, addressing the limited systematic evidence on policy labs' effectiveness. In this episode, Senyo speaks with Samuel and Marcela on a recent report that analyses key issues in the use of evidence and provides practical recommendations for their mission. Read the full report here: https://jacobsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Learning-brief-policy-labs-and-evidence-use-in...
Sep 30, 2024•38 min•Season 3Ep. 48
In this episode, Kwame speaks with Triumph Tetteh, Director at Starters technology. Triumph has always been passionate about Technology and Engineering. However, his journey into education began unexpectedly while serving as a research assistant at KNUST, when he took the opportunity to give children piano lessons. This experience intrigued him about how kids' brains work and how they grasp and assimilate knowledge at very young ages, leading him to the question: "What if education was predictab...
Sep 22, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 47
In this episode, we delve into a conversation with Manny Oppong, COO, and Oscar Yaw Asamoah, CEO of Techten Planet, sharing their personal journeys and mission to empower the next generation of tech leaders. Driven by a shared vision, they established Techten Planet to bridge the gaping education gap in Ghana by providing practical, hands-on STEM experiences that foster lifelong learning. This conversation sheds light on the stark reality of Ghana’s education landscape, where theoretical knowled...
Sep 20, 2024•57 min•Season 2Ep. 46
In this episode, Kwame speaks with William Odartei, a seasoned marketer and an education advocate with over 15 years of professional experience; he is the Marketing officer at TECHAiDE, a pioneering Ghanaian EdTech company. Founded by educationist Mr. Kafui Prebbie in 2011, TECHAiDE has been harnessing ICT to improve education and support youth development, and impacted over 400,000 lives through innovative programs like ASANKA, Edulab, and Makerspace, tailored for the African context. William s...
Sep 15, 2024•48 min•Season 2Ep. 45
In this episode, Kwame delves in a conversation with Charity Akpabey, a remarkable Digital Business Consultant at VGC Group and author of the empowering book, Tech Hustle. Charity's journey is a testament to her determination and adaptability, having transitioned from a non-tech background in economics, geography, population studies, and demography to achieving remarkable success in project management, programming, digital marketing, product management, and data science. Her book is a captivatin...
Sep 13, 2024•52 min•Season 2Ep. 44
This episode unfolds the story of how a young boy’s ambitions were nearly derailed when he was denied entry into his dream university’s engineering program due to lack of science background. Despite facing rejection, his passion for technology and commitment to helping build IT solutions for people drove him to become an experienced UX specialist with a software engineering background. In this episode, Kwame speaks with Prince Boateng Asare, a co-founder and CEO of STEMAIDE Africa, an EdTech sta...
Sep 08, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 43
In this episode, Kwame speaks with Genevieve Simiyu, the Chief Operating Officer at Chalkboard Education, to discuss her inspiring journey. After taking a break from school and life, Genevieve took the leap and moved to Ghana, where she worked on digital literacy projects. This experience opened her eyes to the gaps in Ghana’s education sector, particularly the lack of relevant online courses for African learners. She noticed that despite the youth’s thirst for knowledge, they faced barriers due...
Sep 06, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 42
In this episode, Kwame Speaks with Ebenezer Kwaku Boakye-Yiadom, a young man who despite facing formidable challenges, his unwavering resilience and determination propelled him upward, earning him a series of distinguished degrees and certificates in Education. He’s now dedicated to impacting young minds through technology, and he works for the Triggers & Shappers Foundation as a Public Relations Officer. Triggers and Shappers is a non-governmental organization with a mission to promote a me...
Sep 01, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 41
In this inspiring episode, Kwame speaks with Ernestina Appiah who shares her journey from being a secretary in an IT firm to becoming a successful entrepreneur and educator. She is the founder and CEO of the Ghana Code Club , an after-school program empowering children aged 5-17 with computing skills, confidence and the opportunity to shape their world. Ernestina opens up about the challenges she faced, the successes she's achieved, and the lessons she's learned along the way. She also shares he...
Aug 25, 2024•42 min•Season 2Ep. 40
In this episode, Kwame speaks with Noble Selorm Dzreh, a passionate Ghanaian educator and EdTech enthusiast. He is a licensed teacher with experience in Teacher Professional Development, and focused on promoting STEM-based innovations in education. Noble is the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) associate at the Ghana Society of Education Technology (GSET), a non-profit globally recognized leading professional association for Ghanaian educators leveraging technology to enhance learning ou...
Aug 21, 2024•47 min•Season 2Ep. 39
From a young age, Dr. Nefertiti envisioned a transformative approach to education when she realized education didn’t have to be boring and tough. Her educational journey, spanning the USA and Ghana, fueled her passion for innovative teaching and learning. Driven by a desire to empower educators and revolutionize education, she pursued expertise in learning science and 21st-century teaching strategies. Dr. Nefertiti Puplampu is a renowned learning science and curriculum specialist with an M.Ed. i...
Aug 18, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 38
In this episode, Kwame speaks with Confidence Osein, a visionary woman who has carved a path in the tech space with unwavering determination. Driven by a passion to harness technology for good, she founded the Internet Safe Kids Africa, a pioneering organization dedicated to empowering digitally connected young people to navigate the cyber community safely and responsibly. Kwame engages Confidence in an enlightening conversation, exploring the organization’s milestones, challenges, and inspiring...
Aug 04, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Africa, a continent teeming with diverse cultures and home to over 15% of the world's total population, has long been underrepresented online, with only about 2.5% of Wikipedia's content related to Africa. But Open Foundation West Africa is revolutionizing this landscape through its collaboration with Wikimedia. This episode features a conversation between Kwame and Ruby Damenshie-Brown, former Programs Manager at Open Foundation West Africa, discussing the organization’s remarkable initiatives ...
Jul 21, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 36
In this episode, Kwame speaks with education specialist, Divine Kpe, about the state of Basic education in Ghana. Divine reflects on his personal journey, from growing up in a fishing community with limited access to education to becoming a teacher and later, an education policy expert. He now works as the Senior Program Officer for the Africa Education Watch, a research and advocacy organization dedicated to reforming education in Africa. His story and expertise offer insightful analysis of the...
Jul 07, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 35
