Mr. Poncelet Ileleji is an ICT and institutional development expert with over 25 years of experience leveraging technology for sustainable development. As the Founder and CEO of Jokkolabs Banjul, he has led numerous initiatives in ICT for Development, Learning Technologies, Internet Governance, and Digital Transformation across Africa. He has served as a consultant for the World Bank, the International Trade Centre (ITC), the UN Economic Commission for Africa, UNESCO, the African Union, and NEPAD, contributing to national and regional digital strategies. Aformer president of the Information Technology Association of The Gambia, he remains active in global networks, including the Association for Progressive Communications, the Open Data Charter, and the Global Entrepreneurship Network. He has also served on various working groups focused onprivacy, transparency, and AI policyand lectures onDigital Technologies at BEM University in Senegal.
In this exclusive interview with eLearning Africa, he shares insights on AI governance, digital infrastructure, and the future of EdTech start-ups, plus what an AI version of himself would do better (and worse!). See the full interview below.
1. Digital Infrastructure & Equitable Access
In the past, you’ve emphasised the importance of investing in digital infrastructure to bridge Africa’s connectivity gap. With eLearning Africa 2025 focusing on “Re-imagining Education and Human Capital Development,” what policy shifts or investments do you believe are most critical to ensuring equitable digital access for African learners in The Gambia?
Poncelet Ileleji:
One of the biggest steps African countries, including The Gambia, need to take is building strong digital public infrastructure (DPI). This means improving broadband connectivity, affordability, and last-mile access, especially in rural areas.
In The Gambia, we have broadband nodes across the country, but in rural areas, access remains a challenge. Schools and hospitals are often not connected due to high costs – it can be over $2,000 per tower to extend broadband to remote locations. While mobile data is available, it’s still expensive, with 1GB costing around $4, which is beyond reach for many students.
Across Africa, only about 37% of the population has broadband access, and within The Gambia, usage is concentrated in urban areas. To address this, we must:
- Strengthen public-private partnerships – Governments should incentivise telecom operators by offering tax breaks for investing in rural connectivity.
- Leverage alternative solutions – Technologies like Starlink could offer an affordable way to bridge digital divides, bypassing the high costs of traditional telecom infrastructure.
- Allocate more national budgets to education and ICT – Many African nations spend less than 20% of GDP on education, which limits investments in digital learning.
Broadband access isn’t just about education – it fosters entrepreneurship, economic inclusion, and innovation. In urban centers, young people are using technology to create opportunities comparable to their peers in the US, Japan, or China. But in rural areas, lack of internet means missed potential. Bridging this gap is essential for Africa’s future.
2. AI, Open Data & the Future of Learning
You are deeply involved in AI policy networks and Open Data initiatives. As AI increasingly changes digital education, there are growing concerns about data sovereignty, bias, and the Global South’s role in AI governance.
- What challenges do African nations face in governing AI for education, and
- How can initiatives like the Open Knowledge Foundation and Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data help localise AI solutions to benefit African learners?
Poncelet Ileleji:
The biggest challenge is advocacy and adoption. In 2023, the African Union adopted a Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which aligns closely with the EU’s AI Act. However, there’s a major disconnect between education policy and technological advancements.
AI is already a powerful tool for learning, but most African education ministers aren’t aware of AI governance strategies or how to implement them. The lack of structured advocacy means that these policies remain in reports, rather than being actively integrated into national education systems.
A great example is the rollout of GDPR in the EU – there was mass public awareness, emails, and social media campaigns, ensuring that businesses and citizens understood data privacy laws. African nations need similar advocacy efforts to promote AI literacy among teachers, policymakers, and the general public.
To bridge the gap, we need:
- Strong AI advocacy programmes – Ministries of Education, Digital Economy, and Finance must work together to integrate AI into national education strategies.
- Localised AI solutions – We must develop AI-driven education tools tailored to African languages and learning contexts.
- Better policy implementation – Many African governments sign agreements but don’t operationalise them. AI policy must be embedded into teacher training programmes and curricula.
Without structured advocacy and clear AI policies, African nations risk falling behind in the global AI landscape. It’s time to move from policy reports to real-world implementation.
3. The Role of Start-ups & Innovation Hubs in African EdTech
Through Jokkolabs Banjul, you’ve cultivated a pan-African network of innovation hubs that support entrepreneurship and digital transformation. Given the high churn rate in EdTech and the challenges start-ups face, how can we create a more sustainable ecosystem for African EdTech start-ups?
Poncelet Ileleji:
There are two key challenges:
- EdTech start-ups struggle to scale due to limited access to funding.
- Many African EdTech solutions remain in urban centres and do not reach rural communities.
To build a sustainable ecosystem, we need to apply the principle behind Ronald Coase’s famous quote, “Torture the data, and it will confess to anything.” This means analysing trends, student behaviours, and education consumption patterns. Many start-ups fail to leverage data to prove their impact. If we truly understood what African learners engage with online, it would unlock funding and expansion opportunities.
Solutions for a More Sustainable EdTech Ecosystem:
- Leverage government partnerships – The African Union Education Technology Strategy (2022) provides a framework for scaling EdTech start-ups. Start-ups should align with existing policies to secure funding and government backing.
- Public-private collaborations – Universities and corporate partners can provide funding and validation. Many of Africa’s top professors sit on corporate boards – why are we not leveraging that network for EdTech growth?
- Better storytelling and visibility – African EdTech start-ups are not marketing themselves effectively. There is almost no TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn advertising for African EdTech platforms. If we want EdTech to scale, we must invest in visibility.
If we can combine data-driven decision-making, strong partnerships, and better marketing, African EdTech start-ups will not just survive but thrive.
4. From ICT for Development to ICT for Education: Lessons Learned
You’ve worked extensively in ICT for Development (ICT4D), Learning Technologies, and Internet Governance across Africa. From your experience:
- What are the biggest lessons African policymakers and educators need to learn from past ICT4D initiatives?
- How can they avoid common pitfalls when implementing national digital education strategies?
Poncelet Ileleji:
One of the biggest lessons is ownership and sustainability. A great example is the World Links for Development programme – a late 1990s initiative by the World Bank that brought ICT to schools in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
The programme trained thousands of teachers, but failed because African governments did not take ownership. It was seen as a donor-funded initiative, and when funding stopped, the project collapsed.
Key Lessons for Future ICT Projects:
- Governments must take ownership – ICT projects should be integrated into national budgets, not seen as donor-driven initiatives.
- Public-private partnerships are crucial – Telecom companies should work with education ministries to ensure long-term sustainability.
- Digital infrastructure should be standardised – Schools should have star rankings based on ICT readiness, ensuring consistent quality across regions.
ICT for education cannot be an afterthought – it must be a core pillar of national education strategies.
5. The Future of Hybrid Learning & Africa’s Digital Transformation Strategy
You were a lead consultant in developing The Gambia’s National Digital Transformation Strategy and have advised multiple African governments on digital education policies. As hybrid learning models gain traction, how can governments balance digital expansion with maintaining quality and inclusion?
Poncelet Ileleji:
AI and hybrid learning are not inherently good or bad – it is about how we use them. African nations must take control of their digital destiny by focusing on:
- Developing localised AI-driven education platforms – We need African-language AI models that reflect our cultures, history, and learning styles.
- Emphasising quality over hype – Many African countries sign global AI agreements without ensuring quality education outcomes. Governments must invest in teacher training to ensure that AI supports learning, rather than replaces critical thinking.
- Encouraging digital ethics – AI should enhance, not replace human teachers. We must educate students on ethical AI use and ensure AI tools align with African values and priorities.
Africa’s youth are hungry for innovation. If we harness AI responsibly, invest in infrastructure, and promote ethical digital learning, we can transform education for generations to come.
Off the Record!
1. If you could travel back 25 years and give your younger self one piece of advice about the future of digital education in Africa, what would it be?
Poncelet Ileleji: If I could go back, I would tell myself to focus more on documentation. I wish I had spent more time writing blogs, recording my experiences, and keeping track of key milestones in my journey. So much of what I worked on in those early days – insights, lessons, and scenarios – wasn’t properly documented. There are even things I’ve had to go back and piece together from memory because I never recorded them at the time. If I had started electronic documentation from the early stages of my career, it would have been an invaluable resource today.
2.) You’ve worked on AI governance, data transparency, and digital policy. If an AI version of you were running Jokkolabs Banjul, what would it do better than you – and what could it never replace?
Poncelet Ileleji: An AI version of me would definitely be better at filing. I am terrible at organising files – both electronically and physically. So, AI would be brilliant at keeping everything structured, categorised, and easy to find.
But what AI could never replace is my foresight. I wake up every morning already thinking about what’s ahead, adjusting my plans as necessary. I look beyond today and anticipate the future. That’s something I don’t think AI could ever replicate – being able to predict challenges, opportunities, and trends before they become obvious. For example, years ago, I could already see the importance of local, contextual solutions for African tech, while others were still looking outward for funding and ideas. AI might be able to analyse data, but it won’t have that human visionary instinct.
3.) If you could grant one superpower to every African EdTech start-up founder, what would it be, and why?
Poncelet Ileleji: Curriculum development. If I could give every EdTech founder a superpower, it would be the ability to instantly understand and create curricula tailored to any country, any educational context, on demand – because that’s what’s missing.Imagine walking into any classroom in Africa, looking at the way a teacher operates, and immediately translating that into an effective EdTech solution. Many founders struggle with bridging the gap between how teachers think and what technology provides. If a founder had the power to create a solution that teachers could instantly see, understand, and use – without having to adjust their whole way of working – that would be a game-changer. It would cut down the ideation and trial phase, making it easier for EdTech startups to move straight to a viable, impactful solution that fits real classroom needs.
Interview conducted by Warren Janisch.
