The Round Table, entitled "Leading for change in ICTs in education", will see Ministers and senior policy advisers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea and Zambia discuss how ICTs can foster capacity development in African education systems. Zambia's Minister of Education, the Honourable Ms Dora Siliya, will open the event.


Obstacles to Achieving Inclusive Education

African governments often face similar problems with the implementation of ICT and education programmes at a local level. Obstacles can include the bureaucratic structures of institutions, scarce resources and a lack of leadership strategies to harness the opportunities brought by ICT.

The high-level Round Table will enhance inter-African Ministerial collaboration on national, sub-regional and continental programmes on ICT enhanced education. eLearning is seen as one of the most important development accelerators by the majority of African administrations. National ICT strategies therefore, focus on issues such as access to ICTs, equipping institutions with the most appropriate software and hardware, as well as curricula development, fostering digital literacy and the provision of initial teacher training.

Effective Partnerships with the Private Sector

The politicians, who will be joined by representatives from major development agencies, will discuss how the private sector and development partners can support national educational reform programmes, with a focus on the take-up of relevant education technologies in Africa. The deliverables from the Round Table will include policy briefs and insights as well as a comprehensive communiqué.

Hosts of the Round Table are the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI), the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and International Conferences, Workshops and Exhibitions GmbH (ICWE). Microsoft is the event's sponsor.

The eLearning Africa Conference

eLearning Africa is the largest pan-African conference on ICTs for education and training. It is a key networking event for education professionals, investors and providers of education and training in Africa.

More than 1500 delegates from around the world are expected at this year's eLearning Africa. The Conference is held in English and French. It will be opened by the President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Rupiah Bwezani Banda.