Mwabu has made a notable investment in the South African market, through the establishment of its local hub which will open in Johannesburg. In the last four months alone, Mwabu has grown its presence in the country from one to seven local employees.
With a mandate to improve the quality of education in rural African schools, the education company offers curriculum-focused teaching and learning content via its e-learning tablet. It also provides focused educator support and training through the Mwabu Academy.
Mwabu has already achieved measurable success across various rural communities in Zambia, which it will now seek to replicate in South Africa.
“Our vision is for pupils across rural Africa to benefit from a quality education. We want to equip them to access new opportunities and drive forward the development of the continent,” says Justin Reilly, CEO of Mwabu.
The company has made a major commitment to the South African market in terms of its extensive curriculum-focused content, with plans to introduce translations in local languages as it has successfully done in Zambia. This commitment, together with the considerable teacher support and training offered by the Mwabu Academy, provides Mwabu with a unique value proposition in the South African market for primary schools.
Mwabu has also made a significant investment in local market insight through a strategically assembled South African team. The company currently has seven employees spread across the country and is seeking to fill another six vacancies with locally-trained professionals. Newly appointed Business Development Manager, Didi Bryant, brings a wealth of experience to the team, having worked in both a classroom and corporate education environment.
She joins seasoned Business Development Manager, Oliver Nudds, complementing his mandate to grow Mwabu’s network.
Bryant previously worked for Pearson where she gained considerable experience in the sale of digital education solutions as well as the training on and implementation of the company’s products.
Her considerable knowledge of the South African schooling context will assist Mwabu in developing a roadmap for the practical implementation of its education solutions in schools.
“The realities of working in the South African school environment are very disparate. Some schools have state-of-the-art technology which can accommodate any solution. Then there are other schools where budget and infrastructure simply won’t allow for the solutions they want,” says Bryant. During her career, she has become adept at finding solutions to these types of challenges.
In South Africa, there is no single decision-making governing body. As such, the South African team’s focus for Mwabu will involve creating awareness around the company’s value proposition of reaching children in rural locations.
Mwabu is currently in the process of recruiting a candidate to represent the Training Academy and is committed to finding the right locally-trained professional to take up this position.
“Mwabu is dedicated to creating effective education solutions for the South African market,” says Reilly. “We are confident that the investment we have made both in terms of product and people will take that vision forward.”
