Noura Hounined

Algerian social entrepreneur bridging education gaps through digital innovation

Noura Hounined (b. 1985) is an Algerian tech pioneer whose El Madrasa platform has provided over 1 million students with free online education since its 2010 launch. Growing up in a rural Algerian village without internet access, she understood the challenges of educational inequality. After studying computer science in France, she returned to Algeria to create this Arabic-language learning platform tailored for North African students. The platform offers courses from primary to university level, featuring interactive modules and teacher support networks. Its most impactful feature is the Remote Learning Hub, which uses solar-powered tablets distributed to underserved communities. In partnership with UNESCO, the program has reached 85% of Algeria's rural schools and expanded to Morocco and Tunisia. Hounined's TEDx talk "How I brought internet to Algeria's most isolated villages" (2017) highlighted her community-driven approach. In 2020, she launched El Madrasa Coding Academy, training 2,000 girls annually in coding skills. Her work aligns with UN SDG #4 (Quality Education), and in 2022 she received the World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneer Award. A recent partnership with Google's Grow with Google initiative introduced digital literacy programs to 50,000+ users. Hounined's vision of a connected Africa through education has inspired similar platforms in Kenya and Senegal, proving technology can democratize learning opportunities across linguistic and geographic divides.