A Comparative Analysis of EdTech Readiness in Sierra Leone and Ghana: Temporal Alignment, Policy Trajectories, and System-Level Constraints.

Abstract

This study compares EdTech readiness in Sierra Leone and Ghana using the World Bank EdTech Readiness Index (ETRI) framework while explicitly addressing a central methodological problem: the two country profiles are not synchronous. Sierra Leone’s evidence was collected in 2022 and published in a 2025 technical note, whereas Ghana’s October 2025 report applies ETRI 2.0 and includes additional hybrid-learning indicators. Therefore, the paper does not present the two countries as a ranked performance comparison. Instead, it interprets the evidence as a trajectory-sensitive comparison of two systems at different stages of digital education development. Drawing on the official ETRI reports, national policy documents, and peer-reviewed scholarship on technology integration, teacher capacity, and digital equity, the study compares only overlapping indicators across six pillars: school management, teachers, students, devices, connectivity, and digital educational resources. The findings show that Ghana demonstrates stronger readiness across most comparable indicators, especially school leadership, teacher self-efficacy, teacher planning, curriculum awareness, and digital resource use. Sierra Leone’s 2022 baseline shows very low school-level implementation, particularly in device availability, connectivity, teacher use, student access, and digital educational resources. The analysis argues that policymakers should interpret these differences through policy maturity, infrastructure investment, governance capacity, and equity. Ghana illustrates the opportunities and limits of a longer ICT-in-education trajectory: readiness improves, but device sufficiency, connectivity quality, technical support, and disability inclusion remain weak. Sierra Leone illustrates the value of a pre-strategy baseline for guiding implementation of the National Digital Learning Strategy 2025-2030. The study contributes a cautious comparative approach and proposes a future monitoring framework for African EdTech readiness assessment.