By Maltiti Sayida Sadick
Education leaders, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and development partners from across the continent have converged in Accra for the 19th edition of the eLearning Africa 2026 conference, with speakers calling for Africa to take ownership of its educational future through innovation, technology and digital sovereignty.
Launching the three-day conference, Ghana’s Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, urged African countries to approach digital learning and emerging technologies with a focus on ownership and long-term benefits for the continent.
“There is a great deal of unsupported hyperbole about this potential,” the minister said, referring to the rapid growth of educational technology. “When you think of e-learning in Africa, think of ownership and sovereignty. As a continent, we must ask how we are going to benefit from it and utilise it to shape the future we want.”
He highlighted Ghana’s commitment to expanding digital literacy through the provision of tablets to students and teachers, describing the conference as an important platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration. He also commended the organisers for selecting Accra as the host city, saying the gathering presents an opportunity for Africa to learn how it can lead its own development agenda through innovation and education.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Conference Chairwoman Dr Aida Opoku-Mensah described the event as a significant milestone both professionally and personally.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the 19th edition of eLearning Africa,” she said. “It is particularly special for me because it is taking place in my home country, Ghana, a nation that has long been committed to education, innovation and Pan-African cooperation.”
Reflecting on her two-decade journey with the conference, Dr Opoku-Mensah said she had witnessed eLearning Africa grow from an ambitious idea into the continent’s leading platform for dialogue, partnerships and collaboration in education, skills development and technology.
She pointed to the remarkable transformation of Africa’s educational technology landscape since the inaugural conference in Addis Ababa in 2006.
“When the first eLearning Africa conference was held in Ethiopia in 2006, the continent hardly had an edtech sector to speak of. Today, Africa’s edtech sector is booming, with more than 600 homegrown start-ups across countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and Ghana.”
According to her, the African edtech market is projected to grow significantly in the coming years, creating new opportunities for learning, innovation and economic development.
This year’s conference is being held under the theme: “Africa’s Time: Africa’s Terms – Learning for Sovereignty, Strength and Solidarity.”
Dr Opoku-Mensah said the theme reflects a period of profound transformation across the continent, driven by technological advancement, demographic shifts and emerging economic opportunities.
“It is our belief at eLearning Africa that Africa will rise by defining knowledge on its own terms,” she said. “We must champion sovereignty in learning rooted in our languages, cultures and realities so that education reflects who we are.”
She called for greater investment in local innovation, stronger continental collaboration and policies that protect data sovereignty, support research and encourage homegrown technological solutions.
Also addressing participants, President of the Accra Institute of Technology, Professor Clement Dzidonu, challenged stakeholders to rethink Africa’s education systems in light of rapidly changing global realities.
According to him, many of Africa’s learning systems were designed for a different era and are struggling to meet the demands of today’s world.
“We are educating future-facing populations with past-arranged models,” he said. “The challenge before us is not the absence of learning systems but the need to advance them in alignment with the 21st century and beyond.”
Professor Dzidonu emphasised that Africa’s future prosperity will depend not only on access to education but also on learners’ ability to innovate, adapt and solve emerging challenges.
“Africa’s youth population represents one of its greatest opportunities,” he said. “But that opportunity will never be realised if our learning systems simply expand access without enriching capability.”
Participants at the conference are expected to explore issues including artificial intelligence, digital learning, skills development, data governance, educational innovation and strategies for building resilient and inclusive learning systems across Africa.
The conference continues over the next three days with panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions and policy dialogues aimed at shaping the future of education and technology on the continent.
