Mauritius and ADEA sign hosting Memorandum of Understanding for the ADEA 2022 Triennale, 19th to 21st October 2022

Abidjan – 14^th July 2022, the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology in Mauritius and the Association for the Development of Education in African (ADEA) officially signed the Memorandum of Understanding on 8^th July 2022 to co-organize the ADEA 2022 Triennale to be held in Mauritius from 19^th - 21^st October 2022. Dr. Martha Phiri, the Director of Human Capital, Youth and Skills Department of the African Development Bank (ADEA’s host institution) witnessed the signing. She expressed the Bank's appreciation for the Triennale, coming at an opportune time for improving education on the continent and ensuring it contributes to the economic recovery post-COVID-19.

The Mauritius Ministry of Education and ADEA will, henceforth, work together in the preparation and organisation of the 2022 Triennale and in tracking the implementation of the post-event action plan, including the recommendations. The 2022 Triennale will reflect on the Transforming Education Summit to be held in September in New York and discuss the implementation and monitoring of its outcomes. Both parties will mutualise their resources and expertise to increase the financial and material capacity to host the ADEA 2022 Triennale under the best possible conditions.

The 2022 Triennale follows the first two held in Ouagadougou and Dakar in 2012 and 2017, respectively. It is a unique opportunity for education stakeholders to take stock, learn and share fruitful experiences on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and to collectively commit to developing the necessary drivers and conditions necessary for a resilient education system that sustains the development of skills in Africa and beyond. The Triennale will result in the sharing of knowledge, experiences, good practices, and solutions to inform policies and programmes aimed at improving the use of digitalization in resilient education systems building process. Another expected output is the final declaration that stipulates the commitments of the stakeholders, in particular Ministers of Education, for the attainment of the set goals under each of the four sub-themes and the main theme.

The theme is “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.” Under this theme are four proposed subthemes:

1. Foundational learning,
2. Technical and Vocational Skills Development,
3. The impact of COVID-19 on Africa’s educational systems,
4. Reimagining Africa’s Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The cross-cutting issues include technology, gender, equity, inclusion, climate change, and the well-being of vulnerable groups, especially children with disabilities, girls, and young women. Initiatives that support data availability would also be presented at the Triennale to demonstrate how countries use evidence and analysis to move systems, policies, and budgets in support of education.

This year’s Triennale will be hybrid, bringing together 600 participants, comprising policy makers, critical development partners and key stakeholders including private sector, youth, and civil society representatives championing education in Africa. The registration for the event will start in early August 2022. The first day is dedicated to partners’ meetings and the launch of the exhibition while the remaining two days are reserved for the main event in plenary and breakout sessions. Participants will reflect on the issues and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as positive responses in policy and practice, with a view to building consensus around a common forward-looking agenda for a resilient education and training in Africa. This agenda will inform the ADEA strategic focus in supporting countries for the next five years.

The ADEA Triennale on education is one of Africa’s seminal high-level forums for political dialogue, peer learning, and sharing of knowledge and fruitful experiences. It focuses on critical themes that transform Africa’s educational systems for sustainable social and economic development.

• Shem Bodo, Senior Programs Officer, s.bodo@afdb.org
• Aloïse Prosper Faye, Human Resources and Administration Officer, p.faye@afdb.org
• Cedric Christian Ngnaoussi Elongue, Knowledge Management Officer, c.ngnaoussielongue@afdb.org

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a critical voice and a forum for policy dialogue on education in Africa. It is hosted by the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. ADEA envisions a “high-quality African education and training geared towards the promotion of critical skills for accelerated and sustainable development in Africa”. Contributing to this vision, ADEA serves as an “open and flexible pan-African organization that informs and facilitates the transformation of education and training to drive Africa’s accelerated and sustainable development.” It acts as a catalyst in promoting innovative policies and practices through the pooling of ideas, experiences, learning, and knowledge. The anticipated impact of ADEA’s work is African countries that are empowered to develop education and training systems that respond to their current and emergent needs and drive Africa’s social and economic transformation sustainably. http://www.adeanet.org

The vision of the Ministry is to create the next generation of forward-looking and innovative leaders contributing to the transformation of the Republic of Mauritius into a high ranking, prosperous nation. The Ministry works to create an enabling environment for a higher education system that both generates and equips learners with innovative, cutting-edge knowledge and deep skills for increased competence in a dynamic work environment. https://education.govmu.org