The African Union Commission, through the Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, will host the Innovating Education in Africa Expo 2026 from 13 to 14 July 2026 at the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Expo will serve as a continental policy dialogue, exhibition and campaign platform to advance a digital future for education and skills development across Africa.
The 2026 edition will be held under the theme, “Accelerating the Digital Transformation of Education: Scaling Innovative Solutions for the AU Decade of Education and Skills 2025-2034.” The theme reflects the African Union’s commitment to supporting Member States to adopt and scale innovations that strengthen access, quality, relevance and employability across education and skills systems.
This year’s edition is being implemented with funding support from the Government of Canada, reinforcing shared commitment to advancing inclusive, innovative and future-ready education systems across the continent.
As Africa advances the Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2026-2035 and implements the AU Decade of Education and Skills Development 2025-2034, the continent is prioritizing inclusive, lifelong, equitable and relevant learning systems that prepare citizens for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Africa’s structural transformation. The Expo will contribute to this agenda by linking digital transformation with skills transformation, research, industrialization, green growth and emerging technologies.
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Innovating Education in Africa was established by the African Union in 2018 to identify, promote and support the adoption and replication of impactful education innovations across the continent. Since its inception, the programme has received more than 2,700 submissions, identified 180 innovations, provided continental visibility to up to 50 innovations annually, reached more than 1,000,000 beneficiaries and accelerated 41 innovations with financial support, including annual grants of up to USD 100,000 for implementation and evidence generation.
In 2026, Innovating Education in Africa will expand its scope to include innovations in basic and secondary education, higher education transformation, Technical and Vocational Education and Training modernization, artificial intelligence-enabled systems, robotics education and green skills ecosystems. This broader approach aligns with the Continental TVET Strategy 2025-2034, the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2034, the AU Digital Education Strategy and the AU Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
The Expo will provide a continental innovation showcase across basic education, higher education, TVET, robotics and science, technology and innovation ecosystems. It will also offer a structured policy dialogue platform to support Member States in aligning national digital education, green skills, artificial intelligence and robotics strategies with continental frameworks, while serving as a catalyst for scaling African-built solutions that strengthen digital literacy, STEM education, higher education innovation systems and future-oriented skills development.
The strategic focus areas for IEA 2026 will include digital learning solutions, foundational literacy and numeracy technologies, teacher professional development innovations, artificial intelligence-enabled assessment systems, university-industry collaboration, innovation and incubation labs, research commercialization, digital universities and hybrid learning ecosystems. The programme will also highlight digital and AI-integrated TVET training models, green and climate-responsive skills innovations, robotics and automation training systems, industry-led apprenticeship platforms and cross-border skills certification models.
The Expo will feature a continental innovation exhibition showcasing 10 to 20 shortlisted innovations across education, higher education, TVET, robotics and green technologies. It will also include a Policy Dialogue on the implementation of the Continental TVET Strategy 2025-2034 and the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2034), technical roundtables on digital transformation, artificial intelligence governance, greening TVET institutions, robotics ecosystems, research commercialization and intellectual property management, as well as an investment and industry forum connecting innovators with venture capital, development finance institutions, private sector manufacturers and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat.
The 2026 edition is expected to convene more than 200 in-person participants including Senior Officials from AU Member States Ministries of Education, ICT and Science, Technology and Innovation; senior officials from Regional Economic Communities; education innovators and EdTech entrepreneurs; development partners; private sector leaders; venture capitalists; universities; regional flagship TVET institutions; African higher education Centres of Excellence; academia; researchers; and national research and innovation agencies.
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Expected outputs of IEA 2026 include an Innovation Catalog profiling promising educational and TVET innovations, a policy communiqué on accelerating the Digital Education Strategy, a continental policy toolkit on digital, greening, artificial intelligence and robotics integration in TVET, an investment roadmap for public-private partnerships, a brief on artificial intelligence readiness in African education systems, a mapping report of Centre of Excellence-led innovations, a compendium of incubation centre best practices and a framework for structured collaboration between Centres of Excellence, private sector actors and innovation financiers.
By bringing together governments, innovators, academia, industry, development partners and young people, Innovating Education in Africa Expo 2026 will accelerate the digital transformation of education, strengthen Africa’s innovation ecosystems and advance the continental vision of inclusive, relevant and future-ready learning systems under Agenda 2063.
Registration
Participants interested in attending the Innovating Education in Africa Expo 2026 are invited to register through the registration link: https://tinyurl.com/2026IEA