Kenyan edtech Craydel expands into Ghana, its eighth African market

Kenyan education technology startup Craydel has expanded into Ghana, extending its footprint to eight African markets as it builds a business helping students apply for higher education abroad. 

The move gives Craydel access to one of West Africa’s largest outbound student markets and increases its exposure to a sector that sees more than 400,000 African students leave the continent for higher education each year. 

The expansion adds Ghana to Craydel’s operations in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Burundi, and Tanzania, and marks its fifth new market launch since late 2024, making it one of the few African education startups pursuing an aggressive cross-border expansion strategy. 

“Ghana has one of Africa’s strongest traditions of investing in education and global talent,” co-founder and chief executive Manish Sardana said in a statement on Tuesday. “We have seen tremendous demand from Ghanaian students looking for trusted, technology-driven guidance as they explore study opportunities abroad.”

Founded in 2021 by Manish Sardana, John Nguru and Shayne Aman Premji, Craydel allows students to search, compare and apply to universities overseas through its AI-powered matchmaking tool. The company said it now works with more than 600 institutions across more than 50 study destinations worldwide.

Craydel said the Ghana expansion will include local student advisory services and partnerships with schools and universities as it looks to establish a presence in the market.

The startup earns commissions from universities and colleges for successful student placements, connecting African students seeking overseas education with institutions looking to recruit from a growing pool of applicants. 

The company has raised more than $2.5 million from investors, including Enza Capital and Angaza Capital, and competes with established international student recruitment platforms such as ApplyBoard and IDP Education, which have built global networks connecting students with universities in major study destinations.

Rather than operating as a collection of national businesses, Craydel is building a continent-wide recruitment network that offers universities access to students across multiple African markets. 

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