Fifth edition of Injini’s flagship event brought educators, innovators and decision-makers together in Johannesburg to build EdTech around the realities of the classroom.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Injini, Africa’s leading EdTech Incubator, Accelerator and Think Tank, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, has concluded the fifth edition of South African EdTech Week™, held from October 12 to 13, 2026, at Focus Rooms in Sandton, Johannesburg.

The first edition hosted in Gauteng, the event drew close to 400 attendees, including over 100 classroom teachers, alongside school leaders, government decision-makers, EdTech entrepreneurs, delivery partners and impact funders.

Under the theme “Reclaiming the Classroom: EdTech as a Tool for Teacher Empowerment,” the two-day convening moved past device distribution and connectivity to a harder question: how technology becomes part of daily teaching, instead of another task layered on top of it.

Much of the programme was hands-on. Teachers tested solutions directly with founders in the interactive exhibition, and co-creation workshops led by Citizen Leader Lab and Teachers Can gave educators practical frameworks and tools that they are able to take back to their respective schools. 

“Over two days we watched teachers sit across from founders and tell them exactly where a tool saves time and where it adds to their load,” says Nonku Nyathi, Partnerships & Ecosystem Head at Injini. “You don’t get that kind of feedback from a pilot report. It comes from treating teachers as co-designers, not end users, and it’s what will decide which of these tools are still in classrooms five years from now.”

The EdTech Showcase on day one spotlighted the ten ventures in Injini’s fourth cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, with solutions ranging from AI-powered tools that cut teacher marking time by up to 80% to offline coding games and assistive platforms for learners with special educational needs. EdTech founders from the showcase said they made several connections and have a few potential partnerships they want to pursue. 

“Moving to Gauteng opened the event to a much wider network of schools, districts and investors, and the response showed real appetite to do EdTech differently,” says Nyathi. “Our job now is to carry what we heard into the ventures we back and the partnerships we build, so teachers feel the difference in their classrooms and not only at a conference.”

Key outcomes from the event included:

• Pioneering teacher-led EdTech design: Shifted the sector narrative from device distribution to human-centred technology, establishing commitments to co-create solutions with educators to prevent unused equipment in classrooms. 
• Tangible workload reduction: Showcased growth-stage innovations, including AI tools that can cut teacher marking time by up to 80%, giving educators time back to focus on high-impact teaching.
• Proactive AI & digital governance: Facilitated strategic alignment among school principals, circuit managers, and district officials to develop clear AI position statements, safeguarding protocols, and leadership frameworks for responsible classroom tech integration. 
• Cross-sector innovation partnerships: Established collaboration pipelines between the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellows and other key stakeholders in the room. 
• Interactive EdTech exhibition: Created a space for teachers to use tools, resulting in immediate user feedback and establishing a potential pipeline of interest for follow-up classroom trials. 

Looking ahead, Injini will integrate these insights into its upcoming incubation programmes and strategic initiatives, ensuring that founder support remains anchored in a “Teachers First” philosophy and that educator voices actively shape the organisation’s portfolio. As planning begins for South African EdTech Week 2027, Injini is inviting like-minded ecosystem partners, funders, and decision-makers to collaborate in scaling human-centred education solutions. 

For more on Injini’s programmes and upcoming events, visit www.injini.africa or follow Injini across social media. 

About Injini

Injini is a registered non-profit company and a SARS-approved Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) with Section 18A tax status that exists for the sole purpose of improving educational outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. Since 2017, Injini has identified and supported founders and leaders solving the continent’s toughest education challenges. To progress on its mission to increase the quality, accessibility, and relevance of education in the region, Injini delivers incubation and acceleration programmes, research and advisory work, and supports development of the education-innovation ecosystem through partnerships and collaboration. www.injini.africa

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation is a registered Canadian charity and one of the largest foundations in the world. It works with visionary organizations to advance education and financial inclusion to enable young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. Established in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company, the Foundation is an independent organization separate from the company, with offices in Toronto, Kigali, Accra, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, Dakar, and Addis Ababa. www.mastercardfdn.org

About the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship

The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship is an entrepreneurship acceleration program designed to support promising African EdTech ventures. Implemented in partnership with innovation hubs and EdTech accelerators across Africa, the Fellowship provides select EdTech companies with critical business and financial support, as well as insight into the science of learning, preparing them for scale, sustainability, and impact.