Middle East & North Africa: education and edtech news
Education news from the Gulf, the Levant and North Africa: new campuses and branch universities, AI institutes, edtech funding, public listings and accelerator programmes.
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2026
WISE opens applications for its 2026-2027 EdTech Accelerator cohort
The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation, has opened applications for the 2026-2027 cohort of its EdTech Accelerator, Qatar…
Egypt's 3C Coding School raises $3 million seed round for Saudi expansion
3C Coding School, an Egyptian education technology company that teaches programming and technology skills to children and young people, has raised $3 million in a seed…
Egypt's iSchool acquires software firm Rubikal to build AI tools for schools
Egyptian education technology company iSchool has acquired Rubikal, a software engineering firm also based in Egypt, according to a report dated April 22, 2026. The…
University of New Haven gains US accreditor approval for Riyadh branch campus
The University of New Haven said on April 7, 2026, that the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) had approved its plan to establish an international…
2025
Cisco and KAUST launch an AI institute on the Saudi university's campus
Cisco and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced the launch of the Cisco AI Institute at KAUST on October 29, 2025, at an event in Riyadh.…
Sheraa shortlists 12 education startups for Access Sharjah Challenge 2025
The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center, known as Sheraa, has shortlisted 12 startups for the 2025 edition of its Access Sharjah Challenge, which focuses on education…
Seesaw acquires Jordan's Little Thinking Minds to add Arabic literacy tools
US learning platform Seesaw has acquired Little Thinking Minds, a Jordan-based developer of Arabic literacy products for schools, in a deal reported on April 15, 2025.…
2024
AUC names business school for Onsi Sawiris after gift of more than $30 million
The American University in Cairo (AUC) announced on December 2, 2024, that its School of Business would be named the Onsi Sawiris School of Business following a gift…
EdVentures selects 12 Egyptian startups for Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship
EdVentures, the investment arm of Egypt's Nahdet Misr Group, announced in a statement dated June 6, 2024, the 12 startups chosen for the first Egyptian cohort of the…
Alef Education raises AED 1.89 billion in Abu Dhabi IPO
Alef Education, an Abu Dhabi-based education technology provider, completed the bookbuilding for its initial public offering on June 6, 2024, raising AED 1.89 billion…
Kuwait's Baims acquires Egyptian tutoring startup Orcas
Kuwait-based education technology company Baims has acquired Egyptian tutoring startup Orcas, in a deal reported on January 8, 2024. Baims took full ownership of Orcas…
2023
IIT Delhi to establish its first international campus in Abu Dhabi
The Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), India's Ministry of Education and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi signed a memorandum of…
UAE Ministry of Education and Coursera sign lifelong learning agreement
The Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates and US online learning platform Coursera have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a lifelong learning…
2022
Taaleem lists on Dubai Financial Market after AED 750 million IPO
Taaleem Holdings, a school operator in the United Arab Emirates, began trading on the Dubai Financial Market on November 29, 2022, following an initial public offering…
American University of Beirut signs agreement to open a campus in Pafos, Cyprus
The American University of Beirut (AUB) signed an agreement with the Municipality of Pafos on April 8, 2022, to open a campus in the Cypriot city. The university said…
2021
Jordan's Abwaab raises $20 million Series A led by BECO Capital
Abwaab, an education technology company based in Jordan, raised $20 million in a Series A funding round reported on November 15, 2021. The round was led by BECO…
Heriot-Watt University Dubai opens new campus at Dubai Knowledge Park
Heriot-Watt University Dubai, the United Arab Emirates branch of the UK-based university, has opened a new campus at Dubai Knowledge Park, according to reports…
2020
Dubai initiative launches The Digital School to reach one million students
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) launched The Digital School in Dubai on November 11, 2020. The initiative, announced by UAE Vice President and…
MBZUAI admits 101 graduate students to its first cohort ahead of 2021 start
The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi said on September 9, 2020, that it had admitted 101 graduate students to its inaugural…
Noon Academy raises $13 million in pre-Series B round led by STV
Noon Academy, a Saudi Arabian online learning platform, announced on June 21, 2020 that it had raised $13 million in a pre-Series B funding round. The round was led by…
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