About HBI

A Horn of Africa-led
education institute

Founded in 2025, Horn Bridge Institute is built on a conviction that transformative education — rooted in African leadership and aligned with the AU's continental vision — is the most powerful investment in the Horn of Africa's future.

Vision

Where we are heading

A Horn of Africa where every person — regardless of gender, age, location, or background — has access to quality, equitable, and transformative education that enables individual dignity and continental prosperity.

Mission

"Horn Bridge Institute bridges gaps in education access, quality, and equity across the Horn of Africa through evidence-based programs, institutional capacity building, research and advocacy, and strategic partnerships aligned with the African Union's continental education agenda."

Core Values

What guides us

⚖️

Equity

We prioritize the most marginalized — girls, children with disabilities, rural communities, and out-of-school youth.

🎯

Excellence

We hold ourselves to the highest standards of program quality, research rigor, and organizational integrity.

🤝

Partnership

Lasting change requires collaboration with governments, communities, the AU, and global partners.

🌍

African Leadership

We are Horn of Africa-led and rooted, building on African knowledge, culture, and leadership.

Leadership

Founding Team

AJ

Abdirahman Jama

Executive Director & Founder

Cloud Network Engineer and entrepreneur based in Minnesota, USA, with deep roots in the East African diaspora community and a founding commitment to education transformation across the Horn of Africa.

Dakota County, MN Cloud Networking
TBD

Country Representative

Ethiopia Operations Lead

Ethiopia-based senior leader responsible for all in-country operations, government relations, and program implementation. Must hold minimum college diploma and be Ethiopian national.

Position Open
TBD

Board of Directors

Governing Body

HBI is actively recruiting 3–7 board members including at minimum one-third Ethiopian nationals, with expertise in education, finance, law, and development. Apply to join.

Join the Board
AU Framework

Our alignment with the AU Decade of Education

HBI programs map directly onto every pillar of CESA 2026–2035 and the three commitments of the AU Decade of Education 2025–2034.

AU Commitment 1
Ending learning poverty — HBI Foundational Learning Initiative targets 100,000 out-of-school learners
AU Commitment 2
Elevating the teaching profession — HBI Teacher Excellence Program trains 5,000 teachers by 2030
AU Commitment 3
Aligning education with the future of work — HBI TVET and Digital Learning programs serve 10,000+ youth
CESA Pillar 1
Foundational learning for literacy & numeracy — Core of HBI's Foundational Learning Initiative
CESA Pillar 2
Teacher professionalism — HBI Teacher Excellence Program, aligned to AU Teacher Forum standards
CESA Pillar 3
Skills for employability & entrepreneurship — HBI TVET Program with Ethiopia Ministry of Labor & Skills
CESA Pillar 4
Digital learning & innovation — HBI Digital Learning Program with local language content
CESA Pillar 5
Governance & financing — HBI Research & Policy program, AU policy dialogue participation
CESA SA6
Gender, equity & inclusion — HBI Girls in School Initiative, 50% female enrollment target