Amazon Web Services (AWS) has committed artificial intelligence and cloud technology to support the growth of NBA Math Hoops, a community-based basketball program designed to help youth ages 8 to 14 develop foundational math and social-emotional skills.
The initiative is a collaboration between AWS, NBA Africa, and the nonprofit organization Learn Fresh. The partnership aims to bring the basketball-based math education program to 1,000 students in Johannesburg, with plans to expand the initiative to several other African countries next year. This expansion follows a successful three-year pilot between Learn Fresh and NBA Africa that provided training for educators in South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique.
NBA Math Hoops seeks to address math learning gaps in Africa, which serve as persistent barriers to economic opportunity on the continent. According to estimates from UNESCO, nearly 90% of students aged 6 to 14 in Sub-Saharan Africa do not achieve minimum proficiency in numeracy. The program aims to provide engaging and culturally relevant technology-enabled learning tools to bridge these gaps.
AWS is supporting the program through its $100 million Education Equity Initiative, which provides technology and technical expertise to fuel digital solutions for underserved learners globally. AWS services will power the NBA Math Hoops mobile app and game throughout the continent. Amazon Bedrock will be utilized to personalize content, such as math challenges, to match each student’s specific learning level and pace. To ensure accessibility across various regions, Amazon Translate will localize content into English, Arabic, French, and Swahili. Additionally, Amazon QuickSight will provide Learn Fresh with real-time visibility into student engagement, learning outcomes, and educator performance.
A randomized controlled trial conducted by WestEd has demonstrated the program’s potential impact, finding that students gained between four and five months of math learning after only 17 to 24 hours of exposure to the program.
The current program cycle runs from Aug. 20 through Sept. 26. The rollout includes a structured training program for South African educators and coaches, as well as a leadership and STEM workshop for 100 girls. Following the training, students will use the NBA Math Hoops game to solve algebra problems using real NBA and WNBA player statistics and draft fantasy basketball teams, culminating in a tournament on Sept. 19.
