AWS takes AI-powered maths game across Africa

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is bringing its AI and cloud technology to a basketball-based maths education programme in Africa. The partnership with US non-profit Learn Fresh and NBA Africa aims to expand NBA Math Hoops across five African countries - South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Egypt - by the end of 2027. The initiative, announced at the AWS Summit in Johannesburg, seeks to reach 10,000 students in total.

The programme, NBA Math Hoops, uses basketball to teach fundamental mathematics and social-emotional skills to students in grades four to eight. It uses real player statistics in a fantasy basketball game, with curriculum, physical gameplay, digital tools and community events.

Learn Fresh, the programme developer, has reached over 1.4 million students globally, with a mobile app providing a digital version. The AWS partnership adds an AI and cloud layer, allowing Learn Fresh to scale the digital learning infrastructure across multiple African markets.

AWS is supporting the initiative through its Education Equity Initiative, a $100 million commitment to technology and technical expertise for digital solutions for underserved learners. The initiative uses Amazon Bedrock for personalised learning content, Amazon Translate for localisation into English, Arabic, French and Swahili, and Amazon QuickSight for visibility into student engagement, learning outcomes and educator performance.

Research shows students gain four to five months of maths learning after 17 to 24 hours of programme exposure. The programme is also being evaluated in partnerships with the American Institutes for Research and WestEd. The first regional tournaments are planned for the first half of 2027, with the longer-term ambition to connect continental tournament participation with the Basketball Africa League Finals by 2030. NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi believes basketball can provide an entry point into education and opportunity.