RELI Africa

What RELI Africa does

RELI Africa (Regional Education Learning Initiative) is a non-profit, member-driven education network founded in 2017 and registered in Kenya under section 10 of the Non-Governmental Organisations Co-ordination Act, with its secretariat headquartered in Nairobi. The organization coordinates 71+ civil society organizations and academic institutions across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to address the learning crisis in East Africa, operating simultaneously as a policy-influencing network, a peer-led community of practice, and an organizational strengthening initiative. Its core offerings are five collaborative projects — ADAPT (21st Century Skills assessment research), ALiVE (life skills and values education, currently in Phase 2 through December 2025), EQUIP (EdTech equity research), PE&E (parental engagement framework), and GERAP (girls' education) — organized around four thematic groups: Accountability, Equity and Inclusion, Teacher Development Support, and Values and Life Skills.

Name

RELI Africa

Legal name

Regional Education Learning Initiative

Website

https://reliafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RELI Africa is a non-profit education network coordinating 71+ civil society organizations across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It functions as a peer learning community, policy influencer, and organizational strengthening initiative through five collaborative projects addressing the regional learning crisis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Network and Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Comparative Education Policy Organizations (EDADADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ), Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

Keywords

• Education network
• Peer learning
• Policy advocacy
• Civil society network
• Education research

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: RELI Africa is a member-driven organization with membership fees or contributions from civil society organizations across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
2. Grants and Donor Funding: As a regional NGO working on education in East Africa, RELI Africa receives funding from development partners and donors to support collaborative projects and network operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

RELI Africa is a member-driven, not-for-profit regional education learning network that brings together 71+ civil society organizations and academic institutions across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The network facilitates peer learning, knowledge building, and collaborative policy influencing to address the learning crisis in East Africa, operating through four thematic groups (Accountability, Equity and Inclusion, Teacher Development Support, Values and Life Skills) and collaborative projects such as ADAPT, ALiVE, EQUIP, PE&E, and GERAP.

Product overview

RELI Africa is a not-for-profit regional network that operates as a member-driven and peer learning initiative rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings consist of collaborative projects and programmatic initiatives: ADAPT focuses on 21st Century Skills assessment in curricula; ALiVE addresses life skills and values education with contextualised assessment tools; EQUIP conducts equity-focused research on education technology deployment; PE&E provides a framework for parental engagement in education; and GERAP drives girls' education initiatives across East Africa. These initiatives are supported by four thematic groups (Accountability, Equity and Inclusion, Teacher Development Support, and Values and Life Skills) operating across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RELI: Regional Education Learning Initiative - the primary network brand operating in East Africa
• ADAPT
• ALiVE
• EQUIP
• GERAP
• PE&E

Products and services

• ADAPT (Adapting Assessment into Policy and Learning) A research initiative addressing the incorporation of 21st Century Skills within education programs and school curricula in East Africa, underpinned by assessment data drawn from the lived experience of young people in the region. Target audience: education policymakers, curriculum developers, and researchers.
• ALiVE (Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa) An initiative ensuring children in East Africa acquire life skills and values to thrive during and beyond schooling, developing contextualised assessment tools and generating evidence for system-level change. Target audience: education ministries, schools, and curriculum bodies.
• EQUIP (EdTech for Quality Learning: Understanding Inclusion and Equity Pathways) A two-year study examining critical considerations for EdTech designers and deployers in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to ensure equitable deployment of quality education technology solutions. Target audience: EdTech designers, deployers, and ecosystem actors including UNICEF, Mastercard Foundation, and Save the Children.
• PE&E (Parental Engagement and Empowerment) Framework A framework designed to guide the design, implementation, and assessment of parental engagement and empowerment initiatives in education across East Africa. Target audience: schools, NGOs, and education practitioners working with parents and communities.
• GERAP (Girl Education Project in RELI Africa) A regional learning and collaboration platform generating evidence and identifying solutions that strengthen gender-responsive and inclusive education systems for adolescent girls across East Africa. Target audience: girls' education practitioners, ministries of education, and civil society organizations focused on gender equity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 71+ member organizations across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• East African Community (EAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 August 2024EAC partnered with RELI Africa to organize the Inaugural East African Community Regional Education Conference (August 2024) and the 2nd EAC Regional Education Conference (August 2026) to advance education transformation in East Africa.
• GESCI (Global Education & Skills Council International)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2022GESCI collaborated with RELI Africa, Makerere University, and University of Notre Dame to implement the ADAPT (Adapting Assessment into Policy and Learning) project: Adolescent 21st Century Skills Project, funded by IDRC under the GPE-KIX Programme. GESCI leads the overall project coordination.
• Makerere UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2022Makerere University (through Centre for Continuing Education - CEES) partnered with RELI Africa, GESCI, and University of Notre Dame on the ADAPT project to address 21st Century Skills within East African education systems.
• University of Notre DamecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2022University of Notre Dame collaborated with RELI Africa, GESCI, and Makerere University on the ADAPT project, bringing academic expertise to the research initiative on adolescent 21st century skills.
• Dignitas (Kenya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDignitas Kenya serves as the lead organization for the EQUIP (EdTech for Quality Learning: Understanding Inclusion and Equity Pathways) project in Kenya, working with RELI EdTech special interest group members.
• Shule Direct (Tanzania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShule Direct serves as the lead organization for the EQUIP EdTech Equity Project in Tanzania, contributing to the study on equitable deployment of education technology solutions.
• STIR Education (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTIR Education serves as the lead organization for the EQUIP EdTech Equity Project in Uganda, working with RELI Uganda members on research and framework development.
• EdTech HubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdTech Hub participated in the EQUIP Regional Advisory Workshop, contributing expertise on EdTech equity considerations and has developed audit tools for EdTech interventions.
• UNICEFmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF participated in the EQUIP Regional Advisory Workshop as an EdTech ecosystem actor contributing to discussions on equitable education technology deployment.
• Save the ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSave the Children participated in the EQUIP Regional Advisory Workshop as a key stakeholder in education and child welfare in East Africa.
• People's Action for Learning (PAL) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAL Network partnered with RELI Africa and other organizations to organize the inaugural EAC Regional Education Conference, contributing expertise in learning assessments and citizen-led data generation.
• African Curriculum Association (ACA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACA partnered with RELI Africa and others to organize the inaugural EAC Regional Education Conference, bringing curriculum development expertise to the regional education dialogue.
• Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADEA partnered with RELI Africa and EAC to organize the inaugural regional education conference, contributing continental education development expertise.
• British CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish Council participated as an organizer of the inaugural EAC Regional Education Conference, contributing education and cultural expertise.
• War Child CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWar Child Canada supports accelerated education programs in Adjumani, Uganda that were featured in RELI Uganda peer learning visits, working with community structures for children affected by displacement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Aga Khan Foundation: The Aga Khan Foundation operates education development programs across East Africa and is a RELI member organisation. It is an emerging participant in the same convening space as RELI, with deeper direct-delivery capacity but narrower peer-learning and policy-influencing remit.

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: BRAC operates one of the world's largest non-governmental education programs, running schools and education programs across multiple African and Asian countries. It is a broad incumbent in the education CSO space comparable to RELI's network-coordination role but with direct program delivery at far greater scale.
• Plan International: Plan International is a global humanitarian and development organisation with substantial education programming focused on girls' education and inclusion, closely aligned with RELI's GERAP and Equity & Inclusion thematic areas. It operates at global scale with comparable education-rights advocacy but more direct delivery.
• Save the Children: Save the Children is a major international NGO operating extensive education programs globally, and a RELI member organisation participating in the EQUIP project's Regional Advisory Workshop. It is a broad incumbent comparable in equity-and-inclusion focus but with global funding reach and direct program delivery.
• Education Cannot Wait (ECW): ECW is the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, with comparable focus on equity and inclusion for marginalised children including refugees. It overlaps with RELI's equity mandate and crisis-education work but operates at global scale with significantly larger funding pools.
• Global Partnership for Education (GPE): GPE is the largest global fund dedicated to education in developing countries, and a key funder of RELI's ADAPT project via KIX. As a major incumbent funder shaping African education policy, GPE is comparable to RELI in policy influence scope but operates at vastly greater capital scale and geographic breadth.

Direct peers

• Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA): ADEA is a pan-African education development network bringing together education ministers, policymakers, and CSOs. It is a direct peer to RELI as a co-organiser of the EAC Regional Education Conference and shares the regional convening, policy-influencing, and knowledge-brokering model across African education systems.
• People's Action for Learning (PAL) Network: PAL Network is a global civil-society network focused on citizen-led learning assessments across South Asia and Africa, co-organising the EAC Regional Education Conference with RELI. It shares RELI's member-driven network model, education assessment focus, and emphasis on evidence-based policy influencing.
• GESCI (Global Education & Skills Council International): GESCI is a non-profit focused on building skills for the knowledge economy in Africa, and a RELI member and co-implementer on the ADAPT project. It is a direct peer in the East African education-research and capacity-building space with comparable thematic focus on 21st century skills and youth.
• Uwezo: Uwezo is an East African citizen-led learning assessment initiative operating in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, and a RELI member organisation. It is a direct peer in the regional learning-assessment and education-accountability space with overlapping membership and geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ReliAfrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@reliafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/reli-africa-6b0ba4234

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RELI Africa