The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Education (MoE), has successfully concluded a transformative week-long engagement to strengthen and modernize the country’s Education Management Information System (EMIS). The process was supported by the African Union Commission, through its Pan African Institute for Education for Development (AU-IPED), under the Global Partnership for Education’s Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

The intensive engagement held September 1–5, 2025, combined a comprehensive Peer Review of Liberia’s EMIS with a high-level National Policy Dialogue. The process benchmarked Liberia’s EMIS against continental standards, identified critical gaps, and culminated in the presentation of findings, recommendations, and a costed three-year action plan to guide EMIS modernization.

The closing session was presided over by Hon. Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, Minister of Education, alongside Assistant Minister for Planning, Research and Development, Hon. Thomas M. Parker, AU-IPED Head Mr. Noubatour Adoumtar and the AU-IPED team, representatives from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and other national education stakeholders.

The Peer Review, conducted from September 1-2, 2025, benchmarked Liberia's EMIS against continental standards and featured knowledge exchange with experts from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. These peers shared successful strategies, such as Nigeria’s policy mandating 1% of state budgets for EMIS, Sierra Leone’s geo-mapped schools and digital learner IDs, and The Gambia’s use of mobile apps for low-connectivity areas. These experiences informed Liberia’s own reform priorities and alignment with continental EMIS standards.

The subsequent National Policy Dialogue validated peer review findings and engaged education officials, county officers, and partners in designing solutions. Key challenges identified included: a four-year data gap since the last school census in 2021, weak enforcement of EMIS policies, insufficient ICT infrastructure, and fragmented data systems limiting planning and monitoring.

Consolidated into a costed three-year action plan, the technical outcomes focus on six priority areas:

1. Policy and Governance: Strengthening EMIS legal and policy instruments with clear enforcement mechanisms aligned to Liberia’s Education Sector Plan (ESP).
2. Data Systems and Standards: Introduction of a national unique Learner and Teacher ID system for integration, monitoring, and traceability.
3. ICT Infrastructure: Investment in servers, dashboards, and connectivity for decentralized, real-time data collection.
4. Data Quality Assurance: Institutionalization of an annual validation framework and standardized data accuracy protocols.
5. Capacity Development: Establishment of annual training for EMIS staff and county focal points to build technical expertise in ICT and statistical methods.
6. Sustainable Financing: Endorsement of a financing framework where the Government of Liberia will contribute 60% of resources, with 40% expected from development partners.

The session concluded with the signing of the EMIS Validation Report, symbolizing a joint commitment between AU-IPED and the Ministry of Education. In recognition of her leadership, Minister Jallah was officially nominated as Liberia’s EMIS Data Champion, affirming her role in championing timely, reliable education data for planning and policy.

In her remarks, Minister Jallah underscored Liberia’s commitment: “There is no reason Africa should not be a superpower given the resources we have.” She further highlighted that with GPE support, the Ministry has already initiated a funding proposal for urgent ICT and infrastructure upgrades.

Mr. Adoumtar of AU-IPED emphasized that Liberia’s progress demonstrates the power of continental peer learning and collective commitment to data-driven education systems. This landmark engagement, facilitated under the KIX Africa 19 Hub, marks a turning point in Liberia’s journey towards a digitized, integrated, and sustainable EMIS. The modernized system will serve as the backbone for evidence-based decision-making, ensuring equitable education opportunities for all learners while advancing the country’s Education Sector Plan (ESP), the Liberian government’s Arrest Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), and global and continental commitments under SDG 4 and the African Unions’ Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2026–2035).

For further information, please contact:

1. Lukman Olawale Jaji, Policy Officer, Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) | Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Directorate | Email: jajil@africanunion.org
2. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar, Senior Communication Officer - Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission Tel: +251 904 138 354| E-mail:  gamalk@africanunion.org | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia