African experts and representatives of international entities have highlighted the importance of educational technology as a key tool for «equity, peace, and employability» on the continent. This was evident at the event ‘The transformative power of e-ducation in Africa’, a space focused on the impact of educational innovation with technology organized by ProFuturo.
The event brought together leaders from African organizations, educators, activists, and representatives from the public and private sectors in terms of cooperation, including UNHCR, Save the Children, World Vision, ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, and Telefónica Foundation.
Representatives from leading educational organizations in Africa addressed the structural challenges and educational opportunities in the area. The General Director of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, Max Boqwana, from South Africa, emphasized the need for education that promotes critical thinking above differences, stating that «transformation begins with an empowered citizenship from school.»
Meanwhile, Education expert from World Vision, Egidia Umutesi, from Rwanda, urged governments to «place more emphasis on education» because, despite advances, «there are still many people without schooling,» insisting that «the real challenge is to transform education.»
The Executive Director of The Kukah Centre and President of the Secretariat of the National Peace Committee, Atta Barkindo, from Nigeria, reiterated the need for historical dissemination and education to strengthen identity and social cohesion, as well as the role of women as agents of peace and change. «I believe there are educational opportunities for everyone: women, girls, and men, but the problem for women and girls is that there are cultural and religious factors that prevent them from accessing and taking advantage of those opportunities,» he concluded.
Following that, representatives from ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, ProFuturo, and Matunda organization, which works to improve educational accessibility for children with disabilities, emphasized the importance of active listening by local agents to achieve a profound and relevant impact. Sharing the stage, the founder of African Traveling Teacher, Francis Bizoza, highlighted that «in Africa, there is a gap in quality learning and teaching, where between 8 and 9% of ten-year-old children cannot read or understand a simple story.»
GLOBAL ALLIANCES
Subsequently, a discussion on public-private partnerships took place with representatives from ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, ProFuturo, and UNHCR. A key aspect highlighted by all participants is the role of global alliances and the importance of cooperation with local and international actors to ensure the sustainability and real impact of projects.
These alliances share common values such as commitment to equity, mutual trust, respect for diversity, responsibility, and transparency as they are links that bring together capabilities and generate joint solutions to complex challenges such as poverty, exclusion, or climate change, and build fairer and more resilient educational environments.
After the discussions, the main conclusions of the event revolved around two axes: on the one hand, the representatives of African educational institutions who called for an inclusive, critical, and culturally diverse education on the continent. On the other hand, the cooperation sector emphasized the power of global alliances as a key driver for sustainable, equitable education with a real impact on the most vulnerable communities.
ProFuturo, the educational innovation program with technology driven by Telefónica Foundation and ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, has trained over 13,900 teachers in Africa and has impacted the education of 349,000 students in 1,200 schools in 16 countries. Its goal is to provide inclusive and quality education to vulnerable communities, not only in Africa but also in Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America.