Elimu-Soko

Across Africa, promising education solutions often remain outside the systems that could take them to scale. Public institutions need credible evidence, implementation support and models that fit government priorities and budgets. Innovators need a fair pathway to test their approaches in real classrooms. Funders need confidence that investment can lead to public value, not another isolated pilot.

In Rwanda, Elimu-Soko’s inaugural marketplace supported Rising Academies’ RisingFaster approach across 40 schools, working with approximately 260 teachers and reaching more than 18,000 students over two years. The programme achieved statistically meaningful improvements in literacy and numeracy, alongside stronger grade-level proficiency. These results supported approval for nationwide scaling. Since the initial work began in 2021, Elimu-Soko has expanded into several other African countries and now supports multiple programs that help governments identify, test and scale effective approaches to teaching and foundational learning.

Elimu-Soko is a marketplace and systems platform that brings public education authorities, implementers, innovators and funders together to identify priority learning challenges, select promising approaches, test them with government and build a route to adoption. The work focuses on foundational learning and the systems that support teachers to improve practice.

SITU supported Elimu-Soko through its incubation and its development into an independent, legally registered entity. As needed, SITU continues to provide a neutral operating and financial backbone for selected Elimu-Soko programs. This support connects funder resources to country-led priorities while strengthening partner contracting, financial stewardship, program coordination and learning. The relationship allows Elimu-Soko to operate independently while drawing on shared infrastructure where it adds value.

• Government partners define the problem and the conditions for adoption

• Innovators and implementers adapt evidence-based approaches to local needs.

• Funders finance testing, learning and the infrastructure required for responsible scale.

• Shared data helps partners decide what to continue, change or stop.

• Public financing and delivery systems become the destination - not an afterthought.