Data Entry Academy Wins UNDP Timbuktoo EdTech Top Prize

In Short

• Data Entry Academy, a Lagos-based edtech platform, won first place at UNDP’s Get Ready 4 timbuktoo EdTech accelerator.
• The startup received a $10,000 prize after leading a pool of 1,429 applicants from across Africa.
• Twenty startups pitched in the final, and 10 were selected as winners.

What Happened

Data Entry Academy won the top prize at UNDP’s Get Ready 4 timbuktoo EdTech accelerator after a final pitch event held on July 1 in Dakar, Senegal. Data Entry Academy is an edtech business, meaning it builds technology for teaching and learning, often through online courses and digital tools.

UNDP said the 2026 programme attracted 1,429 applications across Africa. Of those, 1,099 startups met eligibility requirements. Twenty startups advanced to the final pitch, and 10 emerged as winners.

The Lagos-based startup was founded by Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze. It beat finalists from Egypt and Senegal, which took second and third place respectively.

Another Nigerian startup, Varsity Scape, placed sixth among the top 10 winners.

Why It Matters

The result adds to Nigeria’s visibility in African edtech, especially in skills training and workforce development. These are products that help learners gain job-ready abilities, like data entry, digital productivity, and other entry-level tech roles.

It also highlights the growing role of accelerators in a tighter funding market. An accelerator is a structured programme that helps startups improve product, get mentorship, and prepare to raise capital, similar to a short, high-intensity business school for startups.

UNDP’s timbuktoo EdTech track is one of several programmes pushing support toward education technology across the continent. Another example is the CcHub-backed Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, which has become a common route for early-stage founders to build stronger distribution and investor readiness.

For founders, the signal is clear. Non-dilutive prizes and accelerator credibility can matter more when venture capital is more selective, and when buyers, like schools, parents, and employers, want proof that a product works at scale.