The Inaugural East African Community Regional Education Conference

12 August 2024    

Arusha, Tanzania - Educators, policymakers, and stakeholders from across East Africa have gathered at the East Africa Conference on Education, held under the theme ‘Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Collective Action for Quality, Inclusive and Life-long Learning in East Africa'. 

This landmark event aims to address the pressing challenges and explore innovative solutions in the education sector across the region. The conference, organized by the East African Community (EAC) member states – in partnership with the Regional Education Learning Initiative Africa (RELI-Africa), the People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network, the African Curriculum Association (ACA), with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) featured a diverse array of keynote speakers, panel discussions, and workshops.

In his opening remarks the Vice President of Tanzania H.E. Philip Isdor Mpango, proposed a slight amendment of the theme to focus on Human Capital Development. He highlighted the challenges faced in Education from a continental, regional and Tanzania’s perspective and the steps Tanzania is taking to overcome the challenges including a curriculum reform.

H.E. Ms. Veronica Nduva, Secretary General, EAC, mentioned it is important to discuss how education should ensure Africa’s integration.

H.E. Prof. Mohamed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and innovation mentioned that we must adopt a holistic and collaborative approach to translate our aspirations into tangible realities for all Africans. He added that we should focus on promoting economic and social transformation that will improve people’ lives and well-being.

He further highlighted that we must invest in teachers’ training, enhance curriculum relevance, integrate technology effectively, prioritize the development of essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity; and create supportive environments that promote equity and inclusion. Including harmonizing policies, to ultimately facilitate mobility of the trainees and trainers, as our continent is implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Topics covered during the conference included improving access to quality education, integrating technology into learning, teacher training and development, curriculum reform, and addressing the impact of socio-economic factors on education.

The African Union Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) Department and African Union Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate held a session on Foundational Learning as a lever for youth empowerment and Engagement in the African Continent.  The Director of ESTI Prof. Saidou Madougou inaugurated the session with his opening remarks focusing on the importance of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN). The panelists, Mr. Matthew Goldie-Scott (UNICEF), Ms. Valentine Mugun (Global Partnership for Education), Ms. Scholastica Kaaria (Faith to Action Network) and Ms. Janice Khumalo (African Renaissance), shared their insights on integrating FLN into national education systems as a cornerstone of educational reform and economic development. The discussion highlighted innovative models of cross-sector collaboration, the strategic use of data analytics for policy formulation, and the importance of aligning global literacy benchmarks with local cultural contexts. The session underscored the need for adaptive, evidence-based policies and emphasized the critical role of youth participation in shaping the future of education in Africa.

The session also featured a presentation on the African Girls Can Code Initiative, a programme implemented in collaboration with UN WOMEN and aims to close the Digital Gender Gap in Africa by equipping young girls with digital literacy, coding, and personal development skills. This aligned with the theme of the session, highlighting the importance of transforming education for the betterment of the continent's young people. A beneficiary of the initiative, Elizabeth Massawe, provided her perspective and experience from the programme, through which she honed her skills in coding and digital design, which propelled her into a role as a UI/UX volunteer designer. In addition to her design work, Elizabeth is also a social media manager, producing quality content. With a strong commitment to empowering young women in tech, Elizabeth continues to inspire others through her work and community initiatives.

Furthermore, the Women, Gender and Youth Directorate briefed participants on the 1 Million Next Level Initiative which aims to test and scale new ideas continent-wide, sustain multi-stakeholder partnerships, and ensure youth-centric solutions. Launched by H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Initiative is concerned with scaling up youth development and engagement strategies and initiatives for impact. It seeks to reach at least 300 million young people by 2030 in Africa with opportunities for promoting Health and Well-being, Education, Entrepreneurship, Employment, and Engagement (4Es+H). To achieve speed, scale, and sustainability, the 1 Million Next Level initiative focuses on supporting countries and partners to develop and implement country acceleration strategies (CAS) to allow them to contextualize and prioritize actions to accelerate flagships and build resilient foundations and ecosystems for youth development and engagement programming.

A virtual session to provide young people with a space to discuss and express their expectations and aspirations of the East African Community Regional Conference on Education under the theme “Collective Action for Quality, Inclusive and Life-long Learning in East Africa.” was held as part of International Youth Day. Key recommendations included updating curricula to focus on skills-based learning, integrating digital platforms, and fostering lifelong learning. The conversation emphasized the importance of resilient education systems to support Africa’s economic aspirations and the potential of its youth. A strong call to action was made for governments and stakeholders to take meaningful steps in building these systems, ensuring that the skills imparted are competitive globally and capable of driving sustainable development across the continent.

In addition to the formal sessions, the conference also featured an exhibition where educational institutions, technology providers, and non-governmental organizations will showcase their latest products, services, and initiatives aimed at enhancing education in East Africa.

African Union Commission