EduTech Confab: Stakeholders Brainstorm On Effective Ways To Mainstream Digital Innovation In Education

ABUJA – Stakeholders drawn from the African continent converged in Abuja, where they engaged in brainstorming sessions to map out effective ways innovations can be infused into education to deliver best results.

At the opening ceremony of the 2024 African EduTech Conference, speakers after speakers exposed innovative means through which the continent’s education sector can be revamped to make it at par with the contemporary world.

The conference, put together by Edufirst in collaboration with the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC; Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce,NBCC; Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA;Skool Media; Federal Ministry of Education; TY Danjuma Foundation; UNICEF;TETFund, NAJI Apartments;FIRS and Wowbii, respectively seeks to explore cutting-edge EdTech solutions through engagement in meaningful discussions, and benefit from the diverse experiences of participants.

Co-host and Executive Secretary of UBEC,Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, underscored the relevance of emerging technologies in advancing knowledge and educational achievement especially at the basic school level.

He said the Commission keyed into the conference because its was convinced that the frontiers of digital development in Nigeria can be pushed further and faster through public-private partnership.

Bobboyi’s words, “Our strong desire to host the Conference is borne out of the realization that the only sure way to transform basic education in Nigeria and align it with the needs of the century we are living in is to pervasively use the newly emerging education technologies that this Conference is spearheading”

He reeled out how UBEC’s journey to transform basic education began when, a few years ago, it established smart schools in all the 36 states and the FCT.

According to him,” In these schools, we provide quality educational resources and continue to train the teachers and managers to integrate technology into their teaching and assessment practices.”

While the conference lasted, the UBEC Boss tasked speakers and panellists to delve into critical topics such as gamified learning, cybersecurity, inclusive education, and EdTech entrepreneurship which he described as “all important topics in our increasingly technology driven education system.”

“I implore you to focus on the expected conference outcomes including the establishment of a network of EdTech stakeholders, the identification of innovative solutions, recommendations for EdTech policy and practice, the creation of avenues whereby further collaborations can be developed, and the development of a roadmap for EdTech integration and scalability in Africa,” he tasked participants.

The UBEC boss further said: “Let me state that I expect concrete actions, including the launching of a pan-African EdTech coalition, the development of a regional EdTech strategy and policy framework, the establishment of partnerships between EdTech start-ups and 0pinvestors, and the creation of a repository of a I’m solutions and best practices.”

Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, represented by the Senior Education Adviser, British High Commission, Ian Attfield, stressed the need to build an effective African education technology ecosystem.

He noted that EdTech is dynamic, contextual and does not exist in a vacuum, rather it “involves more than hardware and connectivity.”