Foundational learning, encompassing basic literacy and numeracy, is the bedrock of all future education. In the technological era, digital tools offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance foundational learning but also pose new challenges. This subtheme will explore how technology can be harnessed to create more effective, engaging, and equitable foundational learning experiences for all African children.

Focus Areas:

• Early-grade literacy and numeracy experiencesHow can digital tools be used to create personalised and interactive learning experiences that cater to the individual needs of each child? What are the best practices for integrating digital tools into early-grade classrooms?
• Individualised literacy and numeracy progress recording systems
  How can technology be used to track and monitor each child's progress in real-time, providing teachers with the data they need to provide targeted support? What are the ethical considerations of using such systems?
• Digital tools and platforms supporting foundational learning
  What are the most effective digital tools and platforms for foundational learning in the African context? How can we ensure that these tools are accessible, affordable, and culturally relevant?
• STEM and coding education initiatives for primary school pupils
  How can we introduce STEM and coding concepts to young learners in a fun and engaging way? What are the long-term benefits of early exposure to these subjects?
• Engaging families and communities in supporting foundational skills development
  How can technology be used to bridge the gap between home and school, and empower families and communities to support their children's learning?

Secondary education is a critical stage in a young person's development, providing them with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in higher education and the world of work. However, access to quality secondary education remains a major challenge in many parts of Africa, particularly for girls and other marginalised groups. This subtheme will explore how we can build more equitable and excellent secondary education systems that empower all young people to reach their full potential.

Focus Areas:

• Equity-focused reforms in secondary education systems
  What are the most effective policies and strategies for promoting equity in secondary education? How can we address the barriers that prevent girls and other marginalised groups from accessing and completing secondary school?
• Competency-based education and skills for adolescents
  How can we move away from rote learning and towards a more competency-based approach to education that equips young people with the skills they need for the 21st century? What are the most important skills for adolescents to develop?
• Bridging lower-secondary education with post-basic and lifelong learning pathways
  How can we create seamless pathways from lower-secondary education to higher education, vocational training, and other lifelong learning opportunities? How can we ensure that all young people have the opportunity to continue learning throughout their lives?
• Gender-responsive approaches and safe learning environments
  How can we create safe and inclusive learning environments that are free from violence, discrimination, and other forms of harm? How can we promote gender equality in and through education?
• Holistic student development: psychosocial support, life skills, and well-being
  How can we support the holistic development of students, including their psychosocial well-being and life skills? What is the role of schools in promoting mental health and well-being?

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a critical pathway to employment for many young Africans. However, TVET systems on the continent often face challenges of quality, relevance, and perception. This subtheme will explore how we can build future-ready TVET systems that are aligned with the needs of the digital economy and provide young people with the skills they need to thrive in the 21st-century workforce.

Focus Areas:

• Digital skills and apprenticeships aligned with industry needs
  How can we integrate digital skills into TVET curricula and create apprenticeship programs that are aligned with the needs of the digital economy? What are the most in-demand digital skills in Africa today?
• Girls in TVET: closing the gender gap in STEM and trades
  How can we encourage more girls to enroll in TVET programmes, particularly in STEM and other traditionally male-dominated fields? What are the barriers that prevent girls from pursuing careers in these fields?
• Maker Spaces and Innovation Hubs in TVET Institutions
  How can we create vibrant and dynamic learning environments in TVET institutions that foster innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship? What is the role of maker spaces and innovation hubs in promoting hands-on learning?
• TVET-industry partnerships for local economic development
  How can we build strong partnerships between TVET institutions and industry to ensure that TVET programs are relevant to the needs of the local economy? How can we create a more demand-driven TVET system?

Higher education is a key driver of economic and social development. However, higher education institutions in Africa face a number of challenges, including funding, infrastructure, and quality assurance. This subtheme will explore how we can reimagine higher education in Africa to create a more vibrant, innovative, and globally competitive higher education sector.

Focus Areas:

• Digital readiness, infrastructure, and transformation in higher education
  How can we improve the digital readiness of higher education institutions in Africa? What are the key investments that need to be made in digital infrastructure and transformation?
• AI, open science, and data sovereignty in universities and research systems
  How can we harness the power of AI and open science to improve the quality and impact of research in Africa? How can we ensure that African countries have control over their own research data?
• African-led research in a digital era: capacity, partnerships, and global positioning
  How can we build the capacity of African researchers to conduct high-quality, locally relevant research? How can we foster partnerships between African universities and other institutions around the world?
• University–industry–government collaboration for skills, jobs, and innovation
  How can we build strong partnerships between universities, industry, and government to ensure that higher education is relevant to the needs of the economy and society? How can we create a more entrepreneurial and innovative higher education sector?

Teachers are the most important factor in determining the quality of education. However, teachers in Africa often face challenges of inadequate training, support, and resources. This subtheme will explore how we can empower teachers to become more effective and innovative practitioners, and to lead the transformation of education in Africa.

Focus Areas:

• Modernising pre-service teacher education for a digital world
  How can we reform pre-service teacher education to ensure that new teachers are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to teach in the 21st century? What is the role of technology in teacher education?
• Empowering educators with digital literacy and proficiency
  How can we provide teachers with the training and support they need to effectively integrate technology into their teaching? What are the most effective models for teacher professional development?
• AI and EdTech in teacher professional development and support
  How can we use AI and EdTech to provide teachers with personalised and on-demand professional development and support? What are the ethical considerations of using AI in teacher professional development?
• Smart designs for teacher agency and well-being in the digital age
  How can we design schools and education systems that promote teacher agency, collaboration, and well-being? What is the role of technology in supporting teacher well-being?
• Outcome-Based Teacher Development and Local Capacity Strengthening
  How can we move towards a more outcome-based approach to teacher development that is focused on improving student learning outcomes? How can we build the capacity of local institutions to provide high-quality teacher development?

Digital education in Africa must go beyond superficial inclusion of African content. True decolonisation involves re-centering African knowledge systems, worldviews, and cultural practices in curricula, pedagogy, and technology, ensuring that education reflects local realities, languages, and identities.

Focus Areas:

• Local content creation, indigenous knowledge systems, and African pedagogies
  How can curricula and digital learning tools actively integrate indigenous knowledge systems and African pedagogical approaches? What strategies enable communities, elders, and knowledge holders to co-create content that bridges formal and informal learning?
• Language, culture, and identity in digital education
  How can digital platforms support Africa’s multilingual and culturally diverse contexts? What approaches ensure that technology strengthens learners’ cultural identity and relevance, rather than imposing external frameworks?
• African storytelling in education
  How can digital tools preserve and amplify Africa’s oral storytelling traditions? What role can technology, including AI and multimedia, play in teaching, cultural preservation, and learner engagement?
• Authentic assessment models that reflect real-life skills and local contexts
  How can assessment move beyond standardised, Eurocentric models to capture practical skills and higher-order competencies relevant to African learners? What examples exist of culturally grounded, community-engaged evaluation approaches?
• Intergenerational learning and local knowledge transmission
  How can digital education facilitate collaboration between youth and elders to preserve histories, proverbs, and traditional practices? What platforms and approaches enable meaningful intergenerational knowledge exchange?

Artificial intelligence offers immense potential for Africa, but it also carries risks of “algorithmic colonisation,” where models trained on Western datasets reinforce existing inequalities. Achieving digital autonomy requires building and governing AI in ways that reflect African values, languages, and realities. This subtheme will explore how Africa can harness AI responsibly to empower local communities, strengthen education, and drive equitable growth, while fostering widespread AI literacy and local capacity.

Focus Areas:

• Promoting ethical AI rooted in African values
  How can AI frameworks be designed around African principles such as Ubuntu, prioritising community, interdependence, and collective benefit? What strategies ensure ethical use of data, local control, and mitigation of biases from Global North datasets?
• Building local AI capacity: from research to application
  How can Africa develop homegrown AI talent, research, and infrastructure? What models and programs - from universities to innovation hubs - effectively create pipelines of certified professionals and support coordinated continental AI ecosystems?
• AI in education, local languages, and accessibility
  How can AI tools support education in African languages, including translation and accessibility for learners with disabilities? What examples demonstrate the potential of AI to make learning materials more inclusive and culturally relevant?
• African participation in global AI governance and data ethics
  How can African countries and institutions meaningfully shape global AI governance and ethical standards? What mechanisms ensure African voices influence policy, protect local cultural practices, and reduce global inequalities?
• Promoting AI literacy for all
  How can AI literacy be effectively spread across communities, schools, and age groups? What strategies ensure citizens not only use AI tools but understand their function, biases, and impact on society?

Data is a critical driver of development, but fragmented policies and governance can create vulnerabilities that allow global tech actors to dominate African digital markets. Strengthening Africa’s data governance and institutional capacity is essential to exercise agency, make evidence-based decisions, and harness the potential of real-time data for education, development, and local innovation.

Focus Areas:

• Real-time data systems to inform policy and practice
  How can real-time data be leveraged to improve education outcomes, optimise resource allocation, and support adaptive management? What examples demonstrate the impact of continuous data collection on student learning and school performance?
• Institutionalising education data labs and open data ecosystems
  How can African countries build institutional capacity to manage, analyse, and share data effectively? What role do education data labs and open data initiatives play in fostering innovation, transparency, and evidence-based policymaking?
• Building local capacity in educational research and analysis
  How can African researchers and institutions generate actionable insights tailored to local contexts? What strategies ensure research informs policy and practice in ways that reflect Africa’s unique educational and digital landscapes?
• Strengthening accountability for learning outcomes through data and systemic reform
  How can data be used to hold institutions and policymakers accountable for delivering quality education? What models and approaches demonstrate how systemic reforms, supported by data, can improve learning outcomes and equity?

Strong governance and policy frameworks are essential for building digital education systems that are accessible, high-quality, and locally controlled. By combining national strategies, innovative financing, regional cooperation, and ethical oversight, African countries can strengthen digital sovereignty and ensure education systems serve local priorities effectively.

Focus Areas:

• National digital education strategies to ensure access and quality
  How can countries design comprehensive strategies that guarantee equitable access to digital education while maintaining high learning standards? What approaches ensure alignment with local needs and priorities?
• Financing models for quality education
  What innovative financing mechanisms can support sustainable, high-quality education systems? How can governments and partners maximise resources to expand digital learning opportunities?
• Regional cooperation and cross-border innovation
  How can African nations collaborate to share best practices, resources, and technologies? What models foster cross-border innovation and strengthen regional integration?
• Cyber sovereignty, platform accountability, and ethical data governance
  How can African countries assert control over digital ecosystems while promoting ethical use of data? What frameworks ensure platforms are accountable and aligned with African values and interests?
• Training in the use of Education Management Information Systems (EMIS)
  How can capacity-building initiatives improve the use of EMIS for planning, monitoring, and decision-making? What training approaches ensure data is effectively used to enhance education outcomes?

Despite significant progress in digital transformation, Africa still faces a persistent digital divide shaped by connectivity, affordability, and human capacity. Addressing this divide requires more than infrastructure - it demands holistic strategies that ensure physical access, economic affordability, and inclusive digital skills so that all learners can benefit from technology-enabled education.

Focus Areas:

• Strategies for connectivity in remote and underserved areas
  How can national and local initiatives expand access to digital education in remote and underserved communities? What examples, such as broadband projects and rural electrification programmes, demonstrate effective approaches?
• Community networks and locally owned tech infrastructure
  How can decentralised, community-led solutions provide affordable and sustainable access to digital content? What models enable communities to own and manage their technology infrastructure while meeting local educational needs?
• Affordable devices, open-source platforms, and digital public goods
  How can low-cost devices, open-source platforms, and digital public goods expand access to high-quality learning materials? What strategies support local manufacturing, pay-as-you-go financing, and offline access to educational content?
• Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in digital learning
  How can digital education be made inclusive for women, learners with disabilities, multilingual populations, and other marginalised groups? What initiatives demonstrate the impact of assistive technologies, targeted training, and inclusive policies on reducing the digital divide?

Digital learning innovations in Africa must focus on high-impact, cost-effective, and locally relevant solutions. This requires moving beyond adopting the latest technologies to designing tools that work in low-bandwidth, offline, and mobile-first environments, ensuring education reaches all learners regardless of connectivity or resources.

Focus Areas:

• Designing cost-effective learning tools for offline and hybrid environments
  How can low-cost tablets, solar-powered devices, and hybrid learning tools be tailored to local curricula? What approaches maximize impact while remaining affordable and accessible?
• Immersive learning technologies (AR/VR) adapted to African realities
  How can augmented and virtual reality tools be designed to meet local educational needs? What examples demonstrate curriculum-aligned, scalable immersive learning in African contexts?
• Mobile learning approaches and offline solutions for low-connectivity areas
  How can mobile phones and offline technologies, including SMS and local content caching, deliver lessons effectively? What strategies reach learners in rural or connectivity-challenged areas?
• Use of videos, radio, and podcasts as accessible learning tools
  How can widely available media channels expand educational reach? What methods ensure content is engaging, multilingual, and accessible to diverse learners?
• Open Educational Resources (OERs) to promote local content and sharing
  How can OERs be developed to reflect African stories, languages, and cultural contexts? What initiatives showcase the benefits of openly licensed materials for local adaptation and knowledge sharing?

Africa’s participation in the global knowledge economy depends on amplifying local perspectives, innovations, and leadership. Ensuring African voices are represented in international AI, EdTech, and digital learning conversations is essential to shaping inclusive, equitable, and locally relevant solutions. This subtheme will explore strategies for cross-continental collaboration, the development of African alternatives to dominant platforms, and the showcasing of homegrown educational technologies.

Focus Areas:

• African representation in AI and global learning conversations
  How can African experts, policymakers, and innovators influence international AI and digital education policy? What mechanisms ensure Africa’s perspectives are meaningfully represented on the global stage?
• Cross-continental collaborations and diasporic engagement
  How can partnerships with the African diaspora and global institutions foster knowledge exchange and innovation? What models strengthen collaboration while remaining rooted in local priorities?
• African alternatives to dominant learning platforms
  How can locally developed platforms provide culturally relevant, accessible, and scalable alternatives to global EdTech solutions? What strategies support adoption and sustainability?
• Showcasing African EdTech and innovation
  What initiatives demonstrate Africa’s capacity for homegrown digital learning solutions? How can innovation hubs, startups, and educational institutions amplify and scale successful EdTech projects?

Africa’s youth are at the forefront of a digital education and innovation revolution. Harnessing their creativity and energy through youth-led initiatives, entrepreneurship, and technology-driven solutions is key to building inclusive, scalable, and locally relevant educational opportunities. This subtheme explores how young people can shape EdTech platforms, participate in innovation hubs, and drive real-world change while ensuring equitable access for girls and marginalised youth.

Focus Areas:

• Youth-led digital education initiatives and platforms
  How can young innovators design and scale digital education platforms that meet the needs of diverse learners? What approaches maximise impact and sustainability for youth-led solutions?
• Youth entrepreneurship, innovation hubs, and local job creation
  How can African youth be supported to create startups, incubators, and innovation hubs that generate local employment? What strategies ensure ideas translate into sustainable economic opportunities?
• Institutional partnerships to align training with real-world opportunities
  How can collaboration between education providers, governments, and industry ensure that digital skills training leads to meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities? What models connect learning directly to the labor market?
• Empowering girls and marginalised youth through tech
  What targeted strategies promote digital literacy, participation, and empowerment for girls and marginalised youth? How can inclusive policies and programs ensure equitable access to digital opportunities?

Africa’s youth population represents a transformative opportunity for economic growth and innovation. Ensuring that young people transition successfully from education to employment requires strategies that equip them with relevant digital skills, foster entrepreneurship, and connect learning with real-world economic opportunities. This subtheme explores how youth can become creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs who drive a new digital economy.

Focus Areas:

• From consumers to creators
  How can education and training systems empower youth to move beyond being consumers of technology to becoming creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs? What strategies foster creativity and digital agency among young people?
• Bridging education and work through digital skills and apprenticeships
  How can digital skills training and structured apprenticeship programs prepare youth for the labor market? What models ensure that technical and soft skills are aligned with current and future workforce needs?
• Youth entrepreneurship, innovation hubs, and local job creation
  How can youth-led startups and innovation hubs generate sustainable local employment? What approaches link entrepreneurial initiatives to economic opportunities and community development?
• Institutional partnerships to align training with real-world opportunities
  How can governments, academia, and the private sector collaborate to ensure that education and training programs equip youth with skills that are directly relevant to the labor market? What strategies connect learning pathways to employment and entrepreneurship outcomes?

Africa’s economic future depends on equipping learners with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing, digital, and green economy. Integrating digital literacy, green skills, and future-of-work competencies into education systems is critical to creating sustainable employment opportunities, fostering entrepreneurship, and aligning learning with labor market needs. This subtheme explores how education and training can drive economic transformation across the continent.

Focus Areas:

• Green skills, digital skills, and future-of-work readiness
  How can education systems integrate green and digital skills to prepare learners for emerging sectors and sustainable jobs? What strategies ensure that learners are equipped with both specialized knowledge and transversal competencies needed for the future of work?
• Platforms and ecosystems for African entrepreneurship
  How can digital platforms, innovation hubs, and entrepreneurial ecosystems support the development of locally driven businesses? What approaches promote scalable, inclusive, and sustainable entrepreneurship across African economies?
• Reimagining TVET and vocational training for local economies
  How can technical and vocational education be aligned with local economic needs and opportunities? What models ensure that training programs equip learners with practical skills for employment, self-employment, and community development?

Africa’s digital economy is expanding rapidly, with a young workforce and a significant informal sector. To thrive, workers need flexible, continuous, and contextually relevant learning opportunities. This subtheme explores strategies for formalising skills acquired in informal work, recognising competencies through digital credentials, and aligning learning with the evolving needs of key economic sectors.

Focus Areas:

• Flexible workplace learning models for employees, gig workers, and artisans
  How can learning programs be designed to serve informal, self-employed, and gig economy workers? What approaches ensure training is accessible, practical, and integrated into daily work routines?
• Digital badges, micro-credentials, and recognition of prior learning
  How can digital credentials formalise skills acquired outside traditional institutions? What frameworks allow for recognition of competencies and facilitate pathways to economic and professional mobility?
• Community-based and mobile learning for artisans, traders, and micro-entrepreneurs
  How can mobile and community-based learning platforms provide targeted, sector-specific training? What strategies support continuous skills development in local and decentralised contexts?
• Sector-specific learning for priority African sectors
  How can digital learning be aligned with key economic sectors such as agriculture, health, and tourism? What approaches ensure that skills development meets local labour market needs and fosters economic growth?

Africa’s future depends on the ability of its societies to withstand volatility - from economic disruptions to conflict and climate change. Education plays a central role in fostering resilience, equipping learners not only with academic knowledge but also with the skills, values, and adaptability required to navigate uncertainty. Digital learning, in this context, becomes a strategic resource for ensuring continuity, promoting peace, and building sustainable futures.

Focus Areas:

• Education in conflict and humanitarian contexts
  How can education systems ensure continuity of learning in crisis-affected areas? What approaches combine protection, psychosocial support, and flexible delivery models to sustain education during emergencies?
• Digital tools for mental health, peacebuilding, and civic learning
  How can digital platforms strengthen civic engagement, promote peacebuilding, and support mental health in contexts of instability? What participatory pedagogies empower young people as active citizens in fragile environments?
• Adaptive learning for climate resilience and migration contexts
  How can climate education and green skills be integrated into youth programmes? What strategies support communities facing displacement, migration, and environmental change through practical, income-generating, and sustainable learning opportunities?
• Protecting education in emergencies
  What policies and investments are needed to safeguard schools, teachers, and learners during crises? How can alternative pathways, including remote and community-based learning, ensure that education remains a foundation for resilience and long-term recovery?