What:  The African Union (AU) Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation is hosting a side event on High-Level Partners’ Consultation on Accelerating the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034) at the Margins of the AU Summit 2026.

When: 13^th February 2026

Where: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Time: 15:00 to 17:00 (EAT)

Venue: Small Conference Hall 1, New Conference Centre, AUC Compound

Why: The African Union Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034) represents a historic, continent-wide commitment to accelerate the transformation of Africa’s education and skills ecosystems. Despite progress under the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16–25) and other AU-led frameworks, substantial gaps persist in access, equity, quality, relevance, and financing of education across Member States. The Decade responds to these systemic challenges by dedicating the next ten years to urgent, holistic, and strategic reforms aimed at building inclusive, resilient, and future-ready education systems.

It proposes a continent-wide push to consolidate gains, scale innovations, and drive inclusive, technology-enabled, and competency-based learning transformation from 2025 to 2034. Anchored on the foundational pillars of Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 26–35) and aligned with the broader vision of Agenda 2063, the Decade serves as a unifying platform to coordinate national, regional, and continental efforts; ensure policy coherence; and mobilize stakeholders toward shared education and skills development priorities.

The initiative is justified by five strategic imperatives:

1. Responding to urgent learning and skills gaps.
2. Enhancing policy coherence and financing.
3. Reinforcing the role of education in peace, resilience, and stability.
4. Driving implementation of CESA 26–35 and Agenda 2063 commitments.
5. Capitalizing on demographic dividend and technological advancements.

Given the magnitude and ambition of the Decade, a high-level consultation with education strategic partners and stakeholders is essential to strengthen collective leadership, align priorities, enhance coordination, and mobilize the political, technical, and financial support required for successful implementation. This meeting, to be held on the margins of the 2026 AU Summit, will serve as the inaugural platform to consolidate partnership frameworks and define implementation pathways for the Decade across Africa.

Who: African Union Commission Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, AU Member States representatives; development partners, policy makers and governments, donors, private sector stakeholders, youth, education experts and civil society. Special efforts will be made through diplomatic channels to have some Heads of State and Government as well as Ministers of Education in attendance as speakers.

Objectives:

To strengthen continental coordination, shared leadership, and partnership engagement for the effective implementation of the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034), with the following specific Objectives:

1. Align partner interventions with the Decade’s seven strategic pillars.
2. Agree on coordination, reporting, and accountability mechanisms.
3. Identify priority joint programmes for 2026.
4. Mobilise political, technical, and financial support.
5. Establish an annual partnership platform for coordinated action.

Expected Outcomes:           

To ensure that the AU Decade of Education achieves tangible, measurable, and sustained impact across Member States, this consultation will generate collective commitments, strengthened partnerships, and a harmonised approach to implementation. It will catalyse operationalisation of the Decade by aligning priorities, defining shared responsibilities, and establishing pathways for coordinated continental action.

Specific outcomes

1. A shared continental partnership roadmap for implementing the Decade.
2. Consensus on coordination and reporting modalities aligned with CESA 26–35.
3. Agreement on joint initiatives and resource mobilisation priorities.
4. Strengthened partner commitments to support Member States.
5. Improved coherence across regional, continental, and global education initiatives

Participants:

• AU Commission (ESTI & relevant departments).
• AU Member States.
• Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
• UNESCO, UNICEF, AfDB, World Bank, EU, and UN agencies.
• Civil society, Academia, teacher unions, private sector, EdTech innovators.

For media inquiries, please contact:

1. Mr. Maqhawe Freedom Thwala | Digital Communications Officer | Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation| African Union Commission| E-mail: ThwalaM@africanunion.org| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2. Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communication Directorate (ICD), African Union Commission | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org