High-Level Partners’ Consultation on Accelerating the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034)

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February 24, 2026

The African Union Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation hosted a side event, the High-Level Partners’ Consultation on Accelerating the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034) at the Margins of the AU Summit 2026 on 13 February 2026 at the AU Headquarters.

The High-Level Partners’ Consultation brought together Member States, international organizations, development partners, civil society, academia, teachers' unions, and students to accelerate the implementation of the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034).

The consultation, opened by H.E. Professor Gaspard Banyankimbona, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (ESTI), marked a critical step in transforming the continent's education agenda from aspiration into coordinated, measurable action.

In his opening remarks, Commissioner Banyankimbona underscored the urgency of the moment, citing sobering statistics from the latest State of Education in Africa report: approximately four out of five children aged 10 in Africa cannot read and comprehend a simple text. "This learning poverty, exacerbated by rapid population growth and inadequate financing, demands that we move beyond fragmented efforts toward urgent, holistic, and strategic transformation," he stated.

The Commissioner emphasized that the Decade is anchored in three cornerstone frameworks guiding Africa's education transformation:

These frameworks, he noted, provide the roadmap for equipping Africa's youth- the continent's most significant asset- with foundational and future-ready skills for the 21st century, embracing digital innovation, artificial intelligence, and the green economy.

Delivering the closing remarks, H.E. Professor Gaspard Banyankimbona reaffirmed that transformation cannot be achieved by any single institution acting alone. "It requires a coalition of committed partners, aligned priorities, and sustained engagement," the Commissioner noted, stressing that collective efforts must translate into tangible results at the Member State level- in classrooms, training centers, communities, and in the lives of young people and workers across the continent.

Key outcomes from the consultation include:

Alignment of Interventions: Partners agreed to synchronize actions across foundational learning, higher education, and research in line with the Decade's strategic pillars.
Strengthened Governance: Endorsement of a Continental Steering Committee to ensure robust monitoring, accountability, and coordination.
Sustainable Financing: Emphasis on structured resource mobilization, including operationalization of the Africa Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation Fund (AESTIF) to scale investments beyond ad hoc funding.
Enhanced Data Systems: Commitment to invest in reliable education and skills data, improve monitoring mechanisms, and promote evidence-based policy, planning, and resource allocation.
Continental Dashboard: Agreement to develop a continental dashboard to track collective engagement, measure progress, and identify scalable good practices.

The Commissioner emphasized that stronger data systems will not only measure progress but enable identification of what works, scaling of effective practices, and ensure interventions respond to the real needs of Member States.

In the coming months, the African Union Commission Department of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation will consolidate consultation outcomes into coordinated actions, clear implementation pathways, and effective monitoring mechanisms. "We aim to enhance synergies, ensure coherence, avoid duplication, and maximize the impact of every initiative undertaken in support of the Decade," the Commission stated.

Delivering the closing remarks, H.E. Professor Gaspard Banyankimbona emphasized that meaningful transformation cannot be accomplished by a single institution working in isolation. He expressed sincere appreciation to all partners for their active engagement, valuable insights, and steadfast commitment to advancing education and skills development across the continent.

Professor Banyankimbona further underscored that, as Africa is home to the world’s youngest population in the context of a rapidly evolving economic environment, the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development provides Member States with a common framework to act with clarity, coordination, and ambition. He concluded by stressing that the commitments made must now be translated into concrete actions, implemented with renewed energy and determination.

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For media Enquiries, please contact:

Godstime Gaius | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | E-mail: GaiusG@africanunion.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Pierre Andrea Biloa Le Savant | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | E-mail: SavantP@AfricanUnion.org

Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org |