AWS gives maths a basketball spin

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is providing AI and cloud technology to support the expansion of NBA Math Hoops, a maths education programme developed by US nonprofit Learn Fresh. The programme uses real player statistics from the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s NBA in basketball-based activities that help children aged 8 to 14 strengthen their maths and social-emotional skills.

AWS will supply Learn Fresh with AI tools, cloud infrastructure and technical expertise to support an expansion to 10,000 students across five African countries by the end of 2027, including 1,000 in South Africa. The expansion builds on a three-year pilot that has trained more than 100 educators in SA, Botswana and Mozambique.

“Math learning gaps remain among the most persistent barriers to economic opportunities on the continent,” says AWS. “UNESCO estimates that in Sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 90% of students aged 6 to 14 are not achieving minimum proficiency in numeracy. Access to engaging, culturally relevant, and technology-enabled learning tools is limited, and traditional interventions rarely scale across borders, languages, or infrastructure constraints.

“Learn Fresh’s NBA Math Hoops programme has rigorous evidence of impact – a randomised controlled trial conducted by WestEd found that students gained 4 to 5 months of math learning after just 17 to 24 hours of programme exposure – but scaling that model across five countries requires investment and infrastructure that Learn Fresh could not build alone.”

AWS is providing support through the Education Equity Initiative (EEI), a $100-million commitment of AWS technology and technical expertise to fuel digital tools for underserved learners globally. AWS services will power the NBA Math Hoops mobile app and game on a continental scale.

Amazon Bedrock will personalise content, such as math challenges, helping to match each student’s level and learning pace. Amazon Translate will support content in English, Arabic, French, and Swahili. Amazon Quick will give Learn Fresh real-time visibility into student engagement, learning outcomes, and educator performance. This data aims to inform programme improvements and demonstrate impact to funders and governments.

Francessca Vasquez, AWS VP of frontier AI engineering and services, says: “AWS exists to help organisations build solutions that improve lives, and NBA Math Hoops is exactly the kind of programme we want to see succeed. By combining Learn Fresh’s proven curriculum with NBA Africa’s reach and AWS AI and cloud technology, we can give students in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Lagos, Dakar, and Cairo access to a learning experience that is engaging, personalised, and built to scale. This is what it looks like when technology serves as a force for good.”

Students and educators can access NBA Math Hoops through NBA Africa’s network of offices, partners, community-based organisations, and schools. Educators can complete a structured training programme, delivered in part through AWS-powered digital tools, before introducing the programme to students. Students aged 8 to 14 can use the NBA Math Hoops game to draft fantasy basketball teams, solve algebra problems using real player statistics, and compete in localised tournaments. The first round of regional tournaments across all five countries is planned for the first half of 2027, with continental tournament participation tied to the Basketball Africa League Finals by 2030.

Clare Akamanzi, NBA Africa CEO, says: “We believe basketball can be a powerful gateway to education, leadership and opportunity. Through NBA Math Hoops, young people develop critical math and problem-solving skills by engaging with the game they love, and our collaboration with AWS and Learn Fresh will help us bring this impactful programme to thousands more students across the continent.  By combining the appeal of basketball with innovative technology and proven educational tools, we are helping equip the next generation with the skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.”

Calvin Sibert, Learn Fresh chief mission officer, says: “Learn Fresh believes in the power of STEM education on a global scale. Through this partnership, we are able to deepen our collaboration with NBA Africa and build upon our foundational work in South Africa and across the continent.”

* For schools and community organisations in SA, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal that are interested in participating in the 2026-2027 NBA Math Hoops programme, visit the Learn Fresh website here.