African students win global prize for AI education system without internet

By Nathalie Wakam

In many parts of the world, access to education is still held back by poor internet connectivity and the lack of smartphones. To help close this gap, students Happy Niyorurema and Mame Niang from Texas Christian University have created a system that delivers educational content via ordinary phone calls, removing the need for a smartphone. Their innovation was recognised in Dubai, where they received the Global Best M-Gov Award.

“When we talk about AI, we often assume people are online and able to use it. But there are 2.9 billion people, most of them in the Global South, who still lack internet access – that’s just over one-third of the world’s population. We built our own AI (large language model), but instead of putting it on the web, we deployed it on telephony,” said Happy Niyorurema.

The system operates via standard voice calls, giving learners access to educational resources whether they are in major cities or remote rural areas.

“It’s extremely easy to use – you don’t need a smartphone. I think this solution is innovative because we tend to assume people have access to smartphones and the internet. But with this, you can use even the most basic phone. We’ve already started our pilot programme in Rwanda, and we’re planning to expand across Africa, starting with Senegal, Zambia and other countries on the continent,” said Mame Niang.

The World Government Summit in Dubai brought together government representatives from around the globe to discuss innovation, technology and ways to improve public services. This year’s edition concluded on Thursday.