Ashish Gadnis

Founder of Eneza Education, a mobile learning platform that transformed education access across Africa

Ashish Gadnis (born 1978) is a visionary entrepreneur from India who made a profound difference in African education through his pioneering work with Eneza Education. Launching operations in 2010, his SMS-based learning platform provided affordable access to educational content for over 1.5 million students in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria. This innovation addressed the UNESCO report's finding that 258 million children lacked basic education globally.

Working with Safaricom and MTN, Eneza's system allowed students to access quizzes, revision materials and teacher support via basic mobile phones - devices owned by 80% of African households. A 2014 study by the University of Nairobi showed participating students improved exam scores by 30%. Gadnis' approach was featured in the World Economic Forum's report on 'Technology for Education Equity'.

His work intersects with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), and inspired similar initiatives like Zimtu Education in Zimbabwe. Gadnis' TED Talk How a mobile phone can give kids an education has been viewed over 1.2 million times. He currently advises UNESCO's Digital Learning Initiative, demonstrating the global impact of his African-focused innovations.