A new digital education ecosystem aimed at transforming Ethiopia’s school system was officially launched on Monday in Addis Ababa by Arifpay in partnership with Gebeya, AIT, and EducationMatters.
Called ArifSchool, the platform brings together digital payments, school management systems, AI-powered learning tools, and education consulting services under one integrated ecosystem. The consortium says the initiative aligns with the goals of Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy and seeks to modernize the country’s education value chain.
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Speaking during the launch, Rediet Tsige said improving education quality has become increasingly urgent as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday life.
“AI has just become part of our life,” he said, noting that each partner contributes a distinct capability to the ecosystem. According to him, AIT focuses on school automation, Gebeya leads AI innovation, EducationMatters works on research and collaboration, while Arifpay powers the financial infrastructure through digital payment solutions.
Rediet also highlighted Arifpay’s growing role in Ethiopia’s digital finance sector, revealing that the company has processed more than 120 billion birr and facilitated over 420 million transactions to date.
The ArifSchool ecosystem integrates financial services, digital school administration, AI-powered learning tools, and educational consulting into a single platform. Arifpay provides secure digital payment infrastructure for school fee collection, payroll processing, and digital learning purchases. AIT contributes school management and e-learning systems that support attendance tracking, virtual learning, and curriculum management aligned with national standards. Dala Studios at Gebeya provides generative AI tools that allow students and teachers to create presentations, storybooks, websites, music, and other digital content. EducationMatters supports the initiative through strategic consulting, stakeholder coordination, and long-term capacity-building frameworks.
Officials stated that the platform is being developed in collaboration with key government institutions, including the Ministry of Education, the Addis Ababa Bureau of Education, the Ministry of Labor and Skills, the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The CEO of AIT said the company is already working with more than 25 schools and has developed systems capable of supporting schools in areas with limited internet access, including refugee communities. He added that the initiative is focused on preparing future generations through digital learning infrastructure and expanding Ethiopia’s digital education ecosystem.
The consortium says ArifSchool is designed to serve public schools, private academies, and rural institutions alike, helping bridge educational and technological divides through a government-aligned digital platform.
The launch comes as Ethiopia accelerates investments in artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure ahead of the planned rollout of the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute (EAII).
