In this episode, Bob Hawkins speaks with Emanudin Amin, a student at Misrak Polytechnic College in Ethiopia, whose own experience moving through different school systems motivated him to create Mindshift, an AI-powered platform designed to help teachers personalize learning. Emanudin explains how Mindshift uses student data to support teachers, generate lesson plans and assessments, and identify struggling learners before they fall behind. He also shares how teachers at Misrak reacted when they tested the tool, what features they valued most, and what challenges remain as Ethiopia expands its digital infrastructure.The conversation explores the opportunities and risks of bringing AI into classrooms in Ethiopia and across Africa, and reflects on the potential of young innovators on the continent. Bob first met Emanudin during a visit to Misrak under the Ethiopia Education and Skills for Employability (EASE) Project, supported through the World Bank–Mastercard Foundation partnership.

Links:

• About EASE (Ethiopia Education and Skills for Employability Project): https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099114202152418991
• About the Mastercard Foundation: https://mastercardfdn.org/en/
• Three mindset shifts to build digital and AI empowered education systems: https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/three-mindset-shifts-to-build-digital-and-ai-empowered-education

A podcast produced by Lucía Blasco.