Press Release
November 25, 2025 – At this year’s Global EdTech Startups Awards (GESAwards) Africa track, Yiya Solutions emerged as the winner and has been awarded the inaugural EduEvidence Effectiveness Certificate in recognition of its educational impact.
The Global EdTech Startup Awards
(GESAwards)
The Global EdTech Startup Awards is the world’s largest EdTech competition, bringing together innovators from over 130 countries across six continents. Locally organized by the Ghana Society for Education Technology (GSET), the Africa track gives emerging startups a platform to showcase their solutions and form global partnerships. Participating companies are assessed on how well they address real educational challenges, innovate pedagogically, create strong user experiences, scale impact, and maintain a sustainable business model.
This year, 105 startups and companies from across Africa registered for the competition, representing innovators from 17 countries, spanning Algeria to Zambia. Their participation highlights the growing momentum of Africa’s EdTech ecosystem as entrepreneurs work to shape the future of education through technology.
This year, the finalists in the GESAwards Africa competition were:
- Yiya Solutions: Provides STEM education to marginalized youth in Africa via offline, interactive lessons delivered over radio and basic phones.
- MNEMOS: Africa’s first AI-powered e-learning platform for medical students, offering video lectures, practice questions, and an OSCE simulator.
- 5 Quarters: An online education platform offering a wide catalog of courses accessible via mobile app.
- Yello: An AI-powered app delivering audio-based, curriculum-aligned learning for high school students in Africa.
- iSchoolAfrica: Provides under-resourced schools in Africa with iPad labs, teacher training, and inclusive technology to bridge the digital divide.
- Africa for African
- Signlingo: Offers interactive, multilingual sign-language lessons via AI-driven models and gamified quizzes
- Signvrse: Uses AI-powered 3D avatars to translate speech and text into sign language in real time, improving accessibility for deaf communities.
- Nyansapo AI: A digital assessment tool that uses AI to diagnose and track literacy learning gaps in children.
- DAWN AI STUDY: Provides personalized, AI-driven learning for neurodivergent learners across Africa.
- Zerobionic: Builds AI-powered humanoid robots from recycled plastic to translate speech into sign language, making STEM education more accessible for people with hearing impairments.
GESAwards Africa and EduEvidence
This year, GESAwards Africa teamed up with EduEvidence to introduce a new special recognition: the EduEvidence Effectiveness Certificate. The certificate was awarded because several judging criteria of GESAwards overlap with the EduEvidence Bronze level standards. To earn the certificate, the winning startup must demonstrate excellence in three core areas:
- Innovative pedagogy
- Outstanding user experience (UX)
- Clear evidence of learning outcomes
During the finals, these startups pitched their solutions in front of a panel of judges. The top three teams were:
- Yiya Solutions – winner of the EduEvidence certificate
- Nyansapo AI – second place
- Signvrse – third place
Yiya Solutions stood out for meeting all three criteria with strong, measurable impact, demonstrating both pedagogical innovation and a meaningful learning effect.
The partnership between EduEvidence and GESAwards, together with GSET, highlights an important commitment to building a more evidence-driven EdTech ecosystem in Africa. By spotlighting startups that emphasise educational impact, they are helping foster a market where evidence of effectiveness is a key parameter of success.
As African EdTech ecosystems continue to grow, certifying tools through independent, research-based frameworks will become even more important. These certifications offer teachers and education systems reliable, research-backed guidance for choosing digital learning tools. For early-stage startups, obtaining such certification signals that their solutions are built on sound pedagogy. For more mature tools, it confirms classroom-tested, positive learning outcomes.
GESAwards, with its network of over 8,000 startups, plays a pivotal role in enabling emerging EdTech ventures to gain global exposure, form strategic partnerships, and access funding. Beyond awarding the most promising startups, GESAwards helps strengthen local ecosystems and directs investment into diverse and high-potential markets.