Who we are ?

About ADEA

ADEA was established in 1988 as a framework for better coordination among development partners. We have since evolved into a pan-African institution hosted by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and built on a genuine partnership between African Ministries of Education and supporting partners including the civil society and private sector.

Our convening power and strength is demonstrated in five inter-dependent ways: 

 

Forum for policy dialogue.

Network of policy-makers, practitioners and researchers.

Partnership between Ministries of Education and key education stakeholders.

Catalyst for accelerating education reforms.

Platform for promoting critical knowledge, skills and qualifications.

  


One principle underlying ADEA’s philosophy is that the responsibility for education rests with the governments of Africa. This is why we are concerned with fostering a process that empowers African Ministries of Education and make development partners more responsive to the concept of national ownership. We enhance institutional and technical capacities within Africa by establishing networks for the sharing of information and the dissemination of successful strategies and innovations that can be scaled.

Structure and Governance

The General Assembly (GA) is ADEA’s highest decision-making organ. It facilitates decisions on policy and strategic and operational matters. The GA has a Board that oversees the work of the Secretariat. The GA replaces the Steering and Executive Committee, as ADEA evolves into a legal entity.

The Secretariat coordinates overall programs and activities, including those of the thematic Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs), based on the GA decisions, informed by the Board. The Secretariat promotes information exchange and communication, organizes ADEA events such as the Triennales, High-Level Policy Dialogue Forums, and General Assembly meetings, in addition to sharing the results of ADEA’s work.

The ICQNs are communities of practice on thematic areas in education, hosted by selected countries. They function as working groups that bring countries together around policy and technical conversations on identified areas of education based on the countries' needs and priorities​.

ADEA Biennales and Triennales

  • 2022 (Mauritius): Reflecting on the impact of COVID-19 on Africa's educational systems, and how to build resilience to sustain the development of skills for the continent and beyond 
  • 2017 (Diamniadio, Dakar, Senegal): Revitalizing education towards the 2030 Global Agenda and Africa’s Agenda 2063 
  • 2012 (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso): Promoting critical knowledge, skills and qualifications for Africa’s sustainable development 
  • 2008 (Maputo, Mozambique): Beyond Primary Education: Challenges and Approaches to Expanding Learning Opportunities in Africa 
  • 2006 (Libreville, Gabon): More and Better Education. What Makes Effective Learning in Schools and in Literacy and ECD Programs? 
  • 2003 (Grand Baie, Mauritius): The Quest for Quality: Learning from the African Experience 
  • 2001 (Arusha, Tanzania): Reaching Out, Reaching All: Sustaining Effective Policy and Practice in Africa 
  • 1999 (Johannesburg, South Africa): What Works and What’s New in Education: Africa Speaks! 
  • 1997 (Dakar, Senegal): Partnerships for Capacity Building and Quality Improvements in Education in Africa 
  • 1995 (Tours, France): The Processes of Education Policy Formation 
  • 1993 (Angers, France): The Implementation of Education Projects and Programs 
  

Our Key Stakeholders

Although participation in meetings of the General Assembly is restricted, ADEA increasingly seeks out broader participation in its other activities and meetings. Because of its role as a forum to foster policy dialogue on issues affecting education and long-term sustainable development in Africa, ADEA recognizes the importance of reaching out to all who have a stake in Africa’s future.

ADEA uses a variety of mechanisms to reach out to various audiences. For instance, the Triennales target decision-makers who are instrumental for policy-formation, implementation and for guiding ADEA’s program of activities. Furthermore, through ICQN activities and publications, ADEA is able to reach practitioners and other stakeholders working at the school and community level.

Participating in ADEA events is an excellent way to build professional capacity, learn about education in different parts of Africa and have a voice in transforming policy and practice. However, experience has shown that the greatest benefit of ADEA is the network that it provides in which informal discussions take place. These exchanges foster trust, build government ownership of the educational reform process and have been critical in developing partnerships and improving relations between ministries of education and their technical and funding partners.

Funding and Resources

ADEA is funded through membership fees from countries and development partner contributions. Another funding source is contributions from development partners which are either earmarked for specific projects or activities, or go into the general budget. These come through grants and contracts. The resources are then used to finance ADEA’s support to countries, collaborating with other partners, and for publications, communication and knowledge management activities as well as the Secretariat’s operating costs.

The Five Year Strategic Plan

ADEA has transitioned into a new structure, as an organization with a legal status. The new status underpins our five year Strategic Plan 2024 - 2028.

We are becoming more rooted in African needs and realities, more ambitious in taking on new challenges and priorities. Like the continent it is designed to serve, it will increasingly be judged on its ability to demonstrate accountability at every level and provide concrete evidence of the impact of its interventions supporting African countries to sustain resilient educational systems.

The new five-year Strategic Plan 2024 - 2028 is now in force. It embodies strategies that will enable us serve Africa with the new normal and emergent realities, shaped by the need for a resilient educational system, given the experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic.