What:  The Development of an African Continental Foundational Learning Monitoring Framework and the Launch of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 26-35) Cluster Architecture, Performance Indicators and Reporting Mechanisms

When: 25 – 26 November 2025, starting from 9:00 AM (EAT)

Where: AU HQ, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Why: Building on the commitments made at the Transforming Education Summit (TES) in 2022 and the Nouakchott Declaration of 2024, the African Union (AU) and its partners have prioritized the establishment of a continental accountability mechanism to monitor and report on foundational learning progress. The development of an African Continental Foundational Learning Monitoring Framework represents a significant milestone towards operationalizing this mechanism, complementing the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Scorecard and aligning with the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 26–35).

The launch of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 26–35) Cluster Architecture and Performance Indicators aims to strengthen continental coordination by aligning thematic clusters, harmonized performance indicators, and reporting mechanisms to drive evidence-based implementation of CESA 26–35 and the AU Decade of Education (2025–2034). This strategic alignment will enhance coherence across Member States and partners, improve accountability for results, and accelerate transformative action to improve learning outcomes, teacher professionalism, digital innovation, foundational learning, and regional integration in education across the continent.

Who: The technical meeting on the Development of an African Continental Foundational Learning Monitoring Framework and the Launch of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 26-35) Cluster Architecture, Performance Indicators and Reporting Mechanisms is hosted by the Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI), African Union Commission and its Partners.

Objectives:

The overall objective of the technical meeting is to validate and launch the African Continental Foundational Learning Monitoring Framework and CESA 26–35 Indicators and Cluster Architecture to strengthen evidence-based monitoring, policy coherence, and collective accountability across Member States.

The specific objectives are to:

• Identify and agree on common continental goals, benchmarks, and indicators for foundational learning aligned with CESA 26–35 and Agenda 2063.
• Validate the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Scorecard as a tool for tracking progress and accountability.
• Consolidate existing monitoring tools and frameworks into a harmonized, Africa-led system.
• Define a draft roadmap for the operationalization of the continental accountability mechanism for foundational learning.
• Launch of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 26-35) Cluster Architecture and Performance Indicators.

 Expected Outcomes:          

The meeting’s outcomes aim to establish a unified, Africa-led accountability framework for foundational learning, anchored in CESA 26–35. By validating the FLN Scorecard, agreeing on harmonized indicators, and adopting a continental roadmap, Member States and partners will enhance coherence across education frameworks, strengthen data-driven collaboration, and accelerate progress toward eradicating learning poverty in Africa by 2035. Outcomes include:

1. Consensus reached on priority goals, benchmarks, and indicators for monitoring foundational learning in Africa.
2. The FLN Scorecard validated and adopted as the continental accountability tool for foundational learning.
3. Draft continental roadmap outlining roles, responsibilities, and milestones for the implementation of the accountability mechanism.
4. Strengthened alignment and coherence between national, regional, and continental education frameworks under CESA 26–35.
5. Enhanced collaboration among AU Member States, RECs, and partners for data-driven education transformation and reduction of learning poverty by 2035.

Participants:

Participants for the two-days meeting comprises of African Union Organs and Institutions including ESTI, IPED, and OSPD; Governments and Policy Makers; AU Member States Senior officials from Ministries of Education (Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Departments); Regional Economic Communities (RECs) – to ensure regional coordination and alignment; Development and Technical Partners (UNICEF, ADEA, UNESCO, World Bank, AfECN), bilateral and multilateral agencies, and civil society organizations.

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@africanunion.org