Lagos, Nigeria – In a bold and inspiring move that could reshape access to higher education across the continent, African edtech startup Reeda has pledged that by 2026, no university student in Africa will be unable to afford the textbooks they need to study.

This ambitious promise was revealed by Mr. Patrick Udeh, founder of Reeda, during a media interaction following his keynote address at the Africa Content Innovation Forum, where he spoke on “The Power of Content Creation to Boost the Reach of Startups and Small Businesses.”

“Our vision is simple but urgent,” Mr. Udeh told journalists. “We want every student in Africa—regardless of background—to have access to affordable, high-quality academic books. That’s what Reeda stands for.”

Reeda is a newly launched mobile and web platform that allows students to buy or borrow academic textbooks and journals at a fraction of the cost of physical copies. The app also enables lecturers and academic publishers to distribute their books digitally, breaking through the limitations of institutional silos and geography.

“In many African universities, students are still punished—academically and emotionally—for not buying expensive self-published paperbacks,” Mr. Udeh explained. “I know, because I was one of them. I studied with photocopies and hand-me-down notes. Reeda is here to change that narrative for good.”

Mr. Udeh brings considerable experience to this mission, having spent the past decade leading and contributing to some of Africa’s most impactful digital education initiatives under global brands like Meta and Google. His background in curriculum innovation and content strategy has earned him a reputation for building digital tools that bridge real gaps.

Reeda aims to launch its beta version later this year, starting with a curated library of public domain books and open-access journals, while onboarding publishers and authors from universities and polytechnics across the continent. Students can sign up to join the waitlist via the product’s landing page, and early testers say they are already impressed by the app’s usability and vision.

“What excites me is not just the technology,” Udeh added, “but the opportunity to finally give every African student the dignity to learn with the best academic resources—legally, affordably, and on demand.”

The startup has also hinted at future plans to partner with educational ministries, NGOs, and development agencies to subsidize access in underserved regions. With this kind of momentum and mission clarity, Reeda could become one of the most important educational tools to emerge from Africa in this decade.