ScholarX Technologies Ltd., an EdTech startup, has teamed up with Airtel Nigeria to launch LearnAM, a new mobile platform that offers training content to help students develop their learning outcomes.
ScholarX would also benefit from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption, according to a statement released by Airtel in Lagos on Tuesday.
Scholarx will be helped with digital inclusion and would be able to offer its skills acquisition content via Airtel Nigeria’s extensive retail and digital footprints, according to the statement.
“The GSMA Innovation Fund for Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion grant will help fund key components in the project’s initial phase.
It will “finance platform development, content development, sourcing, and early user adoption,” according to the startup.
“The company team expresses profound gratitude to Airtel Nigeria and the GSMA Innovation Fund, sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office,” said Bola Lawal, co-founder of ScholarX.
Lawal explained that the GSMA fund had enabled ScholarX to begin its mission of connecting millions of people in Africa to the internet and assisting them in learning useful skills for the modern digital economy.
“LearnAM offers audio and visual content to help Africans develop their digital and vocational skills so they can get decent jobs.
“We are committed to developing a more professional workforce, with an emphasis on young people and older adults who want to upskill or simply boost their standard of living,” Lawal said.
Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Commercial Officer, said the company was pleased to partner with ScholarX, a GSMA Innovation Fund Grantee, 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.
Balsingh said, “We will continue to pursue new collaborations that will change lives and assist more people in being successful.”
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 including Pidgin English, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa.
A key feature of LearnAM, according to the company, was a Device Financing Program, which enabled individuals and cooperative society members to purchase a device preloaded with the LearnAM app and bundled with services from strategic partners on a monthly basis after making an initial deposit.
Although the prototype of the LearnAM KaiOS app is now available on the KaiOS app store, the platform’s official launch is scheduled for June.
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