4 Lessons Learned from 7 Years of Implementing IT in Gambian Schools

Since 2017, I have been deeply involved in the non-profit organization Afrodidact, which pushes for quality education for every child. We’re currently active in The Gambia, and within Afrodidact, our digital solutions pillar is KUBO — a project I have been building with an ever-growing team of dedicated volunteers.

On October 8, 2024, Educaid – Belgium’s educational aid organization – hosted its International Conference on “Leveraging Technologies for Inclusive Quality Education.” This topic felt like a perfect fit for our work, so we reached out to participate. After considering what to present, we decided to take a step back and share the key lessons we’ve learned, hoping they would be useful to others working in similar fields.

Our talk, titled “Lessons Learned from 7 Years of Implementing IT in Gambian Primary Schools”, shared both challenges and successes. Here are the core lessons we presented:

Lesson 1: Always Assume You Know Nothing

During my first stay of four months in 2017, I thought I understood the local context. Seven years and ten visits later, I’ve learned that every trip reveals new layers and insights. In education and development, there are often many dynamics at play that aren’t immediately visible.

For instance, when I did my internship at The Swallow school in 2017, I saw that teachers spent a lot of time on administrative tasks, manually working on paper and using calculators. I immediately thought this could be automated with computers, freeing valuable time for teachers to spend with their pupils. In the cupboard, there were seven donated laptops — but they were very slow, some with broken parts that were locally unavailable, and others riddled with viruses. Even if the laptops were in good working order, they often came without the necessary software licenses. And even with software like MS Excel, using it without proper training could lead to errors; one mistake in a formula could produce inaccurate reports, making teachers hesitant to rely on the technology.

This experience led me to dive into ICT4Development research, where I began to understand the many barriers to implementing IT solutions effectively. It was a humbling but essential lesson that opened my eyes to the complexities of introducing technology in educational settings, especially in low-resource environments. Recognizing these challenges sparked the idea to start innovating directly at the school, which eventually led to the creation of KUBO — a dedicated solution to bring sustainable, accessible technology to Gambian schools.

We’ve learned to stay humble and keep in mind that there’s always more to learn, helping us avoid mistakes or unexpected side effects when making changes.

Lesson 2: Keep it Simple, but Not Simpler Than Possible

In complex environments, simpler solutions often work best and carry fewer risks. Quick fixes might work in the short term when motivation and resources are high, but for lasting impact, simplicity is key — but not simpler than is practical. At KUBO, we try to use locally available materials as much as possible, including second-hand components. If something isn’t locally available, we import essentials, such as Raspberry Pi — a low-cost, compact computer often used in education to teach basic computing skills and to support accessible technology projects. We only build custom parts, like our KUBO X casing, as a last resort. This approach balances practicality with scalability, ensuring that our model can grow sustainably.

We take the same approach with software, using well-known tools like Raspbian, LibreOffice, Rachel server, and Learning Equality’s Kolibri. The only custom tools we developed are a local server that hosts our custom-built school platform and a backup system with remote management capabilities, accessible through a SIM dongle.

Keeping our solutions simple ensures they can remain effective, reduces risk, and allows us to focus more on impactful work, as less maintenance and development are required.

Lesson 3: Celebrate Every Win

Innovation comes with risks, especially in challenging settings where there may be fewer solid foundations to build upon, and where unexpected challenges can disrupt plans. While big dreams inspire us, we focus on setting achievable milestones. This approach allows us to:

• Test our ideas and make improvements, which lowers risks over time
• Keep stakeholders motivated, including beneficiaries, team members, funders, and even skeptics
• Attract new supporters, resources, and partners

Every win, no matter how small, represents a step forward. Celebrating these successes keeps everyone involved motivated and engaged.

Lesson 4: Make Yourself Redundant

One of our guiding principles is to work toward building local capacity so our roles become unnecessary over time. This work isn’t about making ourselves important — it’s about building sustainable systems that can operate independently.

At every level, we include local stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, schools, teachers, local IT staff, and volunteers, to ensure the project is rooted locally and truly meets the needs of the community. Our approach is driven by local input because we’re not interested in creating solutions for problems that don’t exist.

We recognize that it’s not always possible to find all resources — whether financial or knowledge-based — locally. However, our goal is always to pass on knowledge and responsibilities wherever we can. True sustainability is about aligning with the community’s needs and planning for long-term engagement, so the project can thrive even when we’re no longer involved.

Looking Ahead

These lessons reflect our ongoing journey with Afrodidact in The Gambia, reminding us that real change requires patience, humility, and flexibility. By keeping our solutions simple, celebrating every step forward, and aiming for a sustainable model that doesn’t rely on us, we hope to create a foundation for lasting impact.

If you’re interested in learning more about our work or exploring how to implement these solutions in your own educational projects, we’d love to connect. We’re grateful for our dedicated volunteers, partners, sponsors, and everyone who shares our vision for quality education for every child. Together, we can make meaningful strides toward a future where every child has access to the tools they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

We’d be delighted to hear from you.

You can watch the full recording of our talk here: YouTube Link