Niilo Mäki Institute’s (NMI) development cooperation work in Africa started in 1992 with a Clinical Child Neuropsychology Diploma (CCND) training for students from Kenya, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Chile.

The main focus of the NMI projects is on the development of rehabilitation services for children with learning difficulties, curriculum development and staff development and training in learning difficulties. These projects have been carried out in close cooperation with partners from Kenyatta University in Kenya; the University of Zambia; Zambia Institute of Special Education; University of Namibia, Addis Ababa University from Ethiopia, and the relevant Education Ministries. The projects have mainly been funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Both The Clinical Child Neuropsychology Programme 3 (1999−2001) and the Developing Rehabilitation Services for Children with Learning Disabilities (2002−2004) projects included a two year in service diploma course which was designed to train local professionals in learning difficulties and to enhance their knowledge of special education. During these programmes 48 professionals from 8 countries received a diploma in clinical child neuropsychology and were able to start professional assessment of children's learning difficulties and neuropsychological functioning. In addition to this, 7 persons completed their Developmental Psychology studies at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, and were awarded with a Master’s degree. These trained people are now working in various education facilities or in the governments.

The core aspect of NMI projects has been the establishment of assessment centres in Nairobi, Kenya and Lusaka, Zambia. These assessment centres provide services for special education needs or assessment for learning difficulties and their underlying causes among children. The assessment gives recommendations for teaching and rehabilitation when children are not able to perform according to their expected level in school. Assessment centres also promote inclusion and Education For All by raising awareness of learning difficulties and helping communities to understand the diversity of learning. The experts in NMI has also been involved in the development of assessment tools, most notably during Education Sector Support Programme III in which standardized tests in local languages for reading (BASAT) and arithmetic difficulties (BANUCA) were created in Zambia.

The current project Supporting Learning of Children with Special Needs includes supporting the assessment centres in Zambia and Kenya and arranging seminars and workshops for staff development. The new focus is research on literacy instruction. In 2005, Zambian MA students made a pilot study on Chinyanja translation of Ekapeli/Literate game originally designed for rehabilitation of Finnish children with dyslexia. Pilot study results indicate that Zambian teachers need training in literacy teaching methodology.