Edtech Insights: Kwame Nyatuame on Mobile Learning and Bypassing Education Barriers

The Promise and Challenges of Mobile Learning in Ghana

On a dusty afternoon in a village outside Sunyani, I observed a group of senior high students gathered around a single smartphone. They weren’t scrolling through social media; instead, they were revising past exam questions using an app designed for low data usage. When the power went out, the app saved their progress and allowed them to continue learning offline the next day. One student looked up and said, “If this was in every school, I’d never miss a lesson.” This moment encapsulates the potential—and the challenge—of mobile learning in Ghana: can affordable devices, smart design, and locally relevant content help overcome long-standing educational barriers?

The answer is yes—but only if policies, design, and resources align properly.

The Reality on the Ground

Ghana has made significant strides in digital adoption. By the start of 2025, there were approximately 24.3 million internet users, representing about 70% penetration. Mobile access has been the driving force behind this growth, with mobile connections outnumbering people due to multiple SIM ownership and millions of active subscriptions. This indicates that mobile-first solutions have the potential to reach large audiences quickly.

In response to this trend, the government launched the Smart Schools Project, aiming to distribute tablets to senior high school (SHS) students. The goal was to provide about 1.3 million tablets to enhance digital learning at scale. While these devices are powerful enablers, they also reveal existing gaps: rural schools often struggle with unreliable power, inconsistent connectivity, and teachers who lack training in using digital tools.

Why Mobile Learning Matters for Ghana

Mobile learning (m-learning) is more than just an alternative to traditional classrooms—it’s a practical solution for overcoming several barriers:

• Access: Smartphones are far more common than laptops. Low-data apps, SMS lessons, and offline-first tools allow remote learners to engage with curriculum content without constant broadband.
• Cost: Mobile solutions like SMS, USSD, and lightweight apps are cheaper and faster to scale than building full computer labs.
• Flexibility: Students can learn at their own pace, which is especially beneficial for those who work or travel to school.
• Local Fit: When content is localized—using local languages, examples, and curriculum alignment—it becomes more relevant and effective.

Across Africa, SMS and low-tech models have helped keep learners engaged during school closures and reached students in areas with limited connectivity. In Ghana, platforms that function on basic phones, supplemented by tablets and smartphones where available, are proving highly practical.

Real Examples from Ghana

Several initiatives are already showing success in mobile learning:

• Offline and Low-Data Tools: Local projects use offline servers and solar-powered devices to deliver curriculum-aligned content to remote schools, enabling students to access lessons even without internet.
• Talking Books & Audio Devices: Programs that use audio-based learning have improved early literacy in areas where printed materials and teachers are scarce. Evaluations show positive gains in reading and numeracy.
• SMS/USSD Lessons: Simple text-based quizzes and mini-lessons have helped learners practice core skills without smartphones, reducing reliance on expensive data.

These approaches highlight that mobile learning isn’t one-size-fits-all. The most effective solutions meet learners where they are: based on their devices, language, power availability, and daily routines.

Obstacles to Overcome

Despite its promise, mobile learning will not transform education unless we address key challenges:

• Connectivity and Power Gaps: Even with rising internet users, speeds and reliability vary widely. Investment in community power solutions like solar energy and targeted connectivity for schools is essential.
• Teacher Capacity: Laptops and apps are only tools. Teachers need proper training, mentorship, and time to integrate mobile lessons into their teaching practices.
• Quality and Localized Content: Imported content often misses the mark in terms of cultural relevance and language. More local creators must develop curriculum-aligned materials that reflect students’ lives.
• Sustainable Financing and Policy: One-off pilots are useful, but national-scale implementation requires clear policy, public-private partnerships, and predictable funding to subsidize data and devices for underserved learners.
• Data Privacy and Safeguarding: As more learners move online, robust rules must be in place to protect student data and ensure safe learning environments.

How Ghana Can Leap Forward

To make mobile learning a true accelerator for equity, several practical steps can be taken:

• Design for the Lowest Common Denominator: Build apps and services that work on feature phones, with offline sync and minimal data usage. SMS and IVR aren’t outdated—they’re strategic.
• Power and Connectivity for Schools: Pair tablet and phone distribution with solar kits and subsidized educational data bundles negotiated with telecom companies. The Smart Schools Project is a good start, but maintenance, teacher support, and power must follow.
• Train Teachers at Scale: Move beyond one-off workshops and invest in coaching, communities of practice, and continuous professional development to support classroom use of mobile resources.
• Fund Local Content Creation: Invest in Ghanaian teams to produce lessons in local languages such as Twi, Ewe, Ga, and Dagbani, ensuring materials reflect students’ experiences and exam needs.
• Measure and Iterate: Use simple metrics like engagement, completion, and learning gains to identify what works and scale successful models.

Never Lose Sight of the Goal

All these efforts—data, devices, and connectivity—must serve a higher purpose: education as nation-building. We are not digitizing for the sake of gadgets. We are preparing capable, competent, and empathetic citizens who will shape Ghana’s future.

Mobile learning provides tools to broaden access to education and make it more meaningful. But if we focus only on technology, we risk missing education’s moral task: to nurture citizens who build a better society.

The Closing Note

Yes, Ghana can leapfrog certain traditional barriers through mobile learning. The ingredients are present: wide mobile adoption, growing internet usage, government initiatives like the Smart Schools Project, and adaptable low-tech solutions that work offline and on basic phones. However, leapfrogging is not automatic. It requires intentional design, sustained investment, teacher empowerment, and policies that prioritize equity over novelty.

If we get this right, the group of students in Sunyani won’t be an exception. They’ll be the rule. And that’s when mobile learning stops being an experiment and becomes the engine of a Ghana we can all be proud to build.