Rising Academies, a Sierra Leone-based education nonprofit, is expanding its AI learning tool Rori into government schools across several African countries. Rori generates math and other lessons through WhatsApp, communicates in natural language, adjusts difficulty based on students' responses, and is designed to function in low-connectivity environments.
Why the tool is gaining traction in Africa
Shabnam Aggarwal, chief technology officer of Rising Academies, says many parents in Africa welcome AI in schools because they see it as a way to give their children an advantage. Rising Academies positions Rori as a supplement to classroom instruction, addressing gaps caused by a severe teacher shortage. “Teachers are trying really hard, but they’re just not getting the support and training they need,” Aggarwal said.
Evidence from trials
An eight-month study in 2023 conducted by researchers from Oxford and J-PAL evaluated 500 students. Students who used Rori for two 30-minute sessions per week outperformed a control group by an amount roughly equivalent to an additional year of study, according to the report.
Expansion and related pilots
Rising Academies is rolling Rori out to government schools in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Rwanda, and Ghana. Comparable experiments are taking place elsewhere in Africa: a 2025 study in Nigeria found that access to Microsoft Copilot helped students learn English.
International context: concerns and restrictions
Reception of AI in education is not uniform globally. A February survey from the Pew Research Center found that about four in ten U.S. adults expect AI to have a negative impact on society. In the U.S., two of the largest school districts have recently imposed restrictions on students’ use of AI.
Conclusion
Rori illustrates how AI tutoring tools can be deployed in low-resource settings to supplement classroom teaching and potentially offset some effects of teacher shortages. The available trial results are promising for participating regions, though attitudes and regulatory responses to student-facing AI vary significantly across the world.
