The Challenge

Kenya has approximately 50,000 private schools, which educate 4 million students. Yet, 75% of 3rd grade students have not achieved minimum reading proficiency and more than 40% of 19-20 year olds have not met basic literacy levels. In major cities like Nairobi, more than 60% of students attend low-fee private schools. These schools lack access to formal credit mechanisms — 80% have never accessed a bank loan — and the resources to invest in school infrastructure.

The Innovation

Ed Partners Africa has developed the first non-banking financial tool to serve low-fee, affordable private schools, providing them access to credit to expand classrooms, purchase school buses, build sanitation facilities, and more. Through school-focused lending and a hub-and-spoke approach where relationship managers work closely with school leadership, Ed Partners seeks to close the credit gap for low-fee private schools that serve low-income populations.