Witness cutting edge educational technologies revolutionising the way we learn

Representatives from four of Northern Ireland’s most innovative EdTech companies will be in attendance at Africa E-Learning & Technology Conference. Taking place at the Emperors Palace Conferencing Centre, Kempton Park in Johannesburg, from 10 - 12 March 2021, this hybrid conference is the largest and most comprehensive knowledge sharing event for technology-enhanced education, training and skills on the African continent.

The impact of COVID-19 has made us reliant on technology more than ever: with schools, FE colleges and universities having to provide a variety of creative and alternate methods of education for their students. Luckily, Northern Ireland companies have been at the cutting edge of educational technology development for the last number of years – revolutionising the way we teach and/ learn.

Invest Northern Ireland, the economic development agency of Northern Ireland, will also be hosting a key note session which will discuss the topic “Smart Campus: Balancing the needs of students, parents and educators”. Moderated by Urginia Mhlaba, Trade and Investment Advisor – Sub-Saharan Africa, Invest Northern Ireland; the session will host speakers Vernon Chapman - Senior Consultant, EventMAP Solutions, Felix Spyrka - Regional Director Europe, Africa & China, Firefly Learning, Jamie Ball – Regional Manager (Education) Middle East & Africa, Texthelp, and Dr Kieran McGeown (Education Director) & Dr Allan Pollock (Co-Founder), UCAN Achieve.

Speaking ahead of the event, Swathi Sri, Head of Territory IMEA at Invest Northern Ireland, said: “There is no doubt that Africa is one of the fastest-growing global markets with vast potential in the education sector. We are delighted to participate at the African E-Learning & Technology Conference and offer a platform for our innovative Tech companies to showcase their cutting edge educational technologies. We encourage everyone to visit our stand and look forward to continuing to develop strong business relationships here in Africa throughout 2021 and in the years ahead.”

As Northern Ireland companies set their sights on growing their footprint in key African markets, Invest Northern Ireland looks forward to cultivating major partnership deals at the event.

The companies which will comprise the Northern Ireland Pavilion at Africa E-Learning & Technology Conference 2021 include:

• EventMAP Solutions deploys strategic planning, scheduling and resource management software. The company has over 20 years’ experience in the development of educational planning and management tools, with specific focus on timetabling, scheduling, room usage, accommodation, conferencing, proctoring and resource modelling.  The Optime platform in particular delivers integrated functionality and can be hosted locally or on cloud platforms.
• Firefly Learning offers a secure, collaborative platform of choice for schools, which aims to simplify school communications, lesson management, progress tracking and parent communication. Firefly engages the school community and ensures that everyone can keep learning, whatever the circumstances.
• Texthelp is an award-winning EdTech platform aimed at helping educators and students improve literacy, maths and assessment. Their flagship product, Read&Write, promotes literacy, study and exams and is in use by over 30 million users worldwide.
• UCAN Achieve Primarily focused on driving innovation within the STEAM education sector, the company aims to deliver a first class blended learning experience for students. They also offer education programmes for teachers, which explore the use of best practice techniques in the classroom.