Edtech start-up eLearnAfrica says it has added over 40 African universities to its learning management system, to provide university students with access to free online courses.

Launched in 2016, eLearnAfrica is an online marketplace for the African education sector that makes it easier for students on the continent to search for and enrol in hundreds of online courses, online degrees and professional certifications from third-parties and universities around the world.

It offers 1 800 courses, professional certificates and college degrees to students via its learning portal.

In July, eLearnAfrica announced a collaboration with the Association of African Universities(AAU), to design, build and deploy AAU-eLearnAfricaLMS, a learning management system to serve universities on the continent by making remote learning tools available to academics and students.

According to a statement, the objective of the partnership is to support the efforts of universities in Africa and provide industry-standard and innovative functions in low-data ecosystems through the provision of free e-learning tools, to make online education accessible specifically for under-privileged and marginalised African students.

The AAU-eLearnAfricaLMS platform provides access to a low-data online learning management system for a blended and online learning environment, to help higher learning institutions deal with the learning disruptions and challenges caused by the repercussions of the pandemic.

Higher education leaders and academics have highlighted significant challenges related to online learning in the face of COVID-19.

The partnership with the AAU makes AAU-eLearnAfricaLMS educational content available through a website and the eLearnAfrica app.

A total of 400 universities and 20 million students across Africa are expected to benefit from the partnership.

The AAU bills itself as Africa’s largest higher education coordinating body, comprising over 400 universities in 46 African countries.