GEMS Education’s planned Zanzibar school is no longer just a proposed international school project. New details show how the development fits into a much wider expansion strategy that could reshape the group’s presence across emerging education markets.
Education Africa previously reported on GEMS School Management’s plans with Infinity Developments to establish an international school within Zanzibar’s Infinity Hills development. The original announcement outlined a proposed school focused on STEM, digital learning and teacher development.
Since then, the project has moved forward. The school is now expected to open in 2028, with capacity for around 1,100 students. At the same time, GEMS School Management has revealed ambitions to manage schools in multiple new markets around the world.
This latest development raises a bigger question for African education. Could Zanzibar become the starting point for a wider GEMS presence across East Africa?
GEMS Zanzibar School Moves Towards 2028 Opening
The planned GEMS Zanzibar School will cater for students aged 4 to 18. GEMS School Management expects the school to open with around 730 students before expanding to approximately 1,110 as additional year groups are introduced.
The school is being developed with Infinity Developments, which is behind residential and hospitality projects across East Africa.
The project is located within Infinity Hills, close to Zanzibar’s UNESCO heritage zone of Stone Town. The development is intended to combine education with residential and community infrastructure.
The project has therefore moved beyond the exploratory stage reported by Education Africa in its earlier coverage. A pre-operational agreement has been signed, with construction expected to progress as the school moves towards its planned opening.
For families in Zanzibar, the development could create additional access to international education on the island. It could also reduce the need for some families seeking Western curricula to consider boarding schools outside the country.
Why GEMS Sees Opportunity In Zanzibar
The latest reporting provides more detail about why GEMS is targeting Zanzibar.
Tourism and major residential developments are attracting professional and managerial workers to the island. Some are relocating with school-age children, creating demand for international education. Robert Tarn, CEO of GEMS School Management said,
“There are a significant number of developments up that coastline, particularly in the tourist industry, that is leading to a growing population of middle and upper management personnel who are coming there and have families.”
However, GEMS does not expect the school to serve expatriate families alone. Tarn says,
“Together with the existing population, which has a growing school-aged population, and a growing demand for private education among the local population, it’s a good opportunity for us.”
This could make affordability an important issue as the school develops.
Fergus Kell, a research fellow with the Africa Programme at Chatham House, warned that fees at an international school could be “unattainable in the short term” for much of Tanzania’s emerging domestic middle class.
He noted that “strong GDP growth” is “competing with rapid population growth”, meaning “per capita income growth is far more subdued”.
The point is particularly relevant for education stakeholders. International school expansion can increase choice, but the availability of places does not necessarily mean those places are accessible to most families.
GEMS Expands Its East Africa Strategy As Global School Plans Gather Pace
The most significant new development is that GEMS’ Zanzibar plans appear to form part of a broader strategy for East Africa. GEMS School Management and Infinity Developments have previously identified Rwanda, Malawi and mainland Tanzania as possible markets for future schools. The partners are exploring a network of GEMS-branded schools linked to Infinity’s residential and hospitality developments.
Tony Atkinson, school development manager at ISC Research, described GEMS’ move into Zanzibar as a “very interesting” development. He said East Africa is still relatively early in its international school development cycle compared to the Gulf Cooperation Council or many Asian markets. He added that this suggests the move may be less about short-term scale and more about long-term positioning in emerging growth corridors.
That distinction is important. GEMS is not simply adding another school to its existing portfolio. It is testing whether its management model can be transferred into markets where international school provision remains relatively limited.
The Zanzibar project also offers a window into GEMS School Management’s wider business model. Rather than investing in every school itself, the division works with property developers and investors. GEMS provides educational expertise, school design, staffing and management.
Tarn explained that working with investors and property developers allows the group to scale up quickly because it is not the investor. Instead, GEMS brings the educational expertise, employs staff, designs the school and then manages it for the client.
This model is allowing the group to pursue multiple markets simultaneously. Tarn revealed that GEMS School Management is likely to be contracted for 10 GEMS-branded schools in nine different countries within its first 10 months of operation.
The expansion has already moved beyond Africa. GEMS School Management has announced plans for a school in Tbilisi, Georgia, while its latest expansion also includes a planned school in Oman.
The Georgia school is expected to open by 2029 and will cater for students aged 3 to 18. The curriculum has not yet been confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Oman school is scheduled to open in September 2027 and is expected to eventually accommodate up to 1,600 students.
Together, these developments strengthen the case for viewing Zanzibar as part of a larger international growth strategy rather than an isolated project.
What This Could Mean For African Schools
GEMS’ expansion could bring new opportunities for students and educators in emerging education markets.
For students, new international schools can increase access to recognised curricula and create additional pathways to universities overseas.
For educators, the growth of international schools can create teaching, leadership and professional development opportunities. GEMS has also indicated that its African projects can include capacity-building for local educators through leadership development and training programmes.
However, the expansion also raises questions about affordability, local access and how international schools fit into national education systems.
Those issues will be particularly important as GEMS considers markets beyond Zanzibar. A successful model will need to respond to local demand rather than simply reproduce a model developed in established international school markets.
Could Zanzibar Become A Regional Education Hub?
GEMS’ own ambition extends beyond opening one school. Tarn believes the wider management model could eventually support 50 schools within five years. He said GEMS has the capacity to design and staff multiple schools at the same time, while offering different major curricula and fee levels.
He added that the group can respond to different markets by offering different curricula and fee levels. For example, GEMS could manage a premium British curriculum school in one country while also establishing an affordable Indian curriculum school in another.
For Education Africa readers, this is perhaps the more significant development than the Zanzibar school itself.
The project shows how international school operators are increasingly looking beyond established African markets. It also highlights the growing role of partnerships between education groups, property developers and local stakeholders.
Zanzibar could therefore become an important test case for whether this model can deliver international education while also responding to the needs of local communities.
