On 4–6 October 2018, UNESCO-IICBA participated as both a partner and an exhibitor at the Innovating Education in Africa Expo 2018 in Dakar, Senegal. The event, organized by the African Union Commission and hosted by the Government of the Republic of Senegal, came to realization with a goal of presenting technical and social innovations in all spheres of the education sector. It aimed to develop a multisectoral platform for sharing experience and good practice, and raise the visibility of 50 selected innovators.

The inaugural expo was a high-profile event, opened by the Prime Minister of Senegal, S.E. M. Mohammed Dionne, and closed by the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Senegal, Prof. Mary Teuw Niane. It aspires to become an annual event in order to keep momentum and attract as well as highlight young innovators across the continent, to which end a new Network of African Education Innovators is to be established. Of the 50 selected innovators, Mr. Charles Ofori Antipem from Ghana, was awarded for his Science Set- an affordable, portable and scalable science lab that easily fits in a student’s bag- with the top prize worth $100,000.

“Dream big, aspire to inspire, transform and implement. Walk with much confidence and prosper. I am proud of you, we are proud of you, Africa is proud of you – the batch of discernment, implementation and entrepreneurship!”

Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology of the African Union Commission, addressing all present innovators in education

The Expo featured various scientific experiments, expositions and presentations of academic papers/projects by university professors, professionals and governmental decision-makers in multiple areas, ranging from early childhood education to enhancing access to education for women and girls. Dr. Temechegn Engida, Program Officer of UNESCO-IICBA, chaired one of the panel sessions titled “Realising outcomes of Education with Effective Teaching and Teacher Development and STEM Education” and presented two papers, one on E-Learning Content Development and E-Assessment in STEM Teacher Development and  another on Enhancing Teacher Education For Bridging The Education Quality Gap In Sub-Saharan Africa.

For the duration of the event, UNESCO-IICBA displayed its programs, projects and publications as part of its exhibition booth shared together with the UNESCO Dakar Regional Office and UNESCO Harare Regional Office. In charge of coordinating the exhibition were Mr. José Edmond Meku Fotso, UNESCO-IICBA Liaison Desk Officer with UNESCO Dakar, who presented on Electronic (e-) assessment in Rwanda – Shifting from paper to e-models for better education quality in the 21st century, and Mr. Tomas Danicek, UN Volunteer for ICT in Education, who introduced UNESCO-IICBA’s video presentation on Transformative Pedagogy.

The next edition of the Expo will take place in Botswana and will strive to further engage and collaborate with key stakeholders, including the private sector and development partners to spur and leverage innovation in education. UNESCO-IICBA will continue to support the welcomed initiative in order to drive innovation for inclusive and equitable quality education for all.