About the The ICT Forum

The First African Ministerial Forum on ICT Integration in Education and Training was held in Tunis from December 9 to 11, 2013. The meeting was co-organized by ADEA, AfDB, OIF, UNESCO and Intel, and enjoyed the hospitality of the Tunisian government.

The overall objective of the Forum was to establish a platform for high-level dialogue on policies and experiences that capitalize on the possibilities offered by integration of ICT in African education and training systems. To this end, the Forum focused on the continent’s major concerns regarding ICT in education:

  • To provide universal access to quality education as well as opportunities for continuing study to all young people and adults;
  • To endow learners with skills that enable them to become full-fledged stakeholders in the knowledge society;
  • To promote, through education systems, the digital culture and creativity that Africa needs to increase its innovation capacity in the ICT sector;
  • To create the conditions and factors required for faster development in Africa, with regard to the human capital formation and the technological innovation capacity required for such acceleration.

The expected outcomes of the Forum were as follows:

  • Promotion of a shared understanding of the concept and characteristics of relevant, effective integration of ICT in African education and training systems as well as the implications in terms of changes in the development, implementation and sustainability of policies and strategies;

  • Awareness-raising on the need for firm political engagement in favor of methodical, programmed integration of ICT in African education and training systems;
  • Sharing of best practices and innovative experiences in order to draw lessons concerning factors of success, identify levers of change for successful integration of ICT, and promote the skills required for the desired changes and for joining the knowledge society;
  • Promotion of a network of dialogue and partnerships among stakeholders in national public sectors, cooperation agencies, the private sector and civil society in order to enhance the relevance and viability of policies and strategies for integration of ICT in education and training;
  • Proposals for strategies to improve equity in education and training, between girls and boys, rural and urban areas, the rich and the poor, etc.;
  • Establishment of a platform for sharing knowledge and experience in order to provide better information for ICT integration policies and for the development of educational solutions that are relevant to African contexts;
  • Sensitization of the private sector to the benefits of investment in ICT integration policies and strategies, particularly through innovative financing based on a win-win public- private partnership.

The Report of the 1st Forum presents and analyzes the proceedings and outcomes of the discussions held during the three days of the Forum. It is structured as follows:

  • Participation in the Forum and proceedings of the meeting;

  • Contextualization of the major development issues raised by ICT integration in education and training in Africa;
  • The need for national policies on ICT integration in education and training;
  • The potential gains from ICT in education and training;
  • Integration of ICT in African education and training systems: innovation and reform issues;
  • Leveraging the potential of ICT in education and training;
  • Emerging trends in the use of ICT in Africa: the example of mobile technology;
  • Certain risks and strategies for avoiding them or lessening their impact;
  • Conclusion.