SankofaLABfor Learning and Discovery

Who we are

About Sankofa Lab

An educational non-profit founded to serve pre-tertiary students in Ghana, and ultimately across Africa.

Our mission

To make learning accessible, practical, and fun.

Our vision

Every young African, inspired and equipped to reach their full potential.

The name

Why "Sankofa Lab"

Sankofa is an Akan expression that transliterates to "go back and take something." For us it means humility toward the traditions we come from, learning from what works wherever we find it and adapting it to our context, and an open invitation, especially to the African diaspora, to join the cause.

A lab is a place where things get done: problems are solved, skills are learned, discoveries are made. Put together, Sankofa Lab is a vehicle for societal progress powered by humility, imitation, and adaptation.

Sankofa for us means "humility," "African," and "come join us!"
The Sankofa Lab Superb Starling

Our mascot: the Superb Starling

How we work

Complementing, not competing

Sankofa Lab is designed to complement existing educational and developmental efforts in Ghana, not compete with or replace them. Our goal is to fill gaps: the applied, enriching, mentorship-rich experiences that memorization-heavy schooling rarely makes room for.

Our values

The people

Our team

Founded by David Tettey Tawiah after his own summer research fellowship showed him what students gain when someone opens the lab door, our team spans Colby College and Ghana, with roots in Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.