By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Stakeholders in Africa’s education sector have advanced various possible innovative measures to transform education in the continent.

Speaking variously in Abuja, at the opening ceremony of the 2024 African EduTech Conference 2024, they presented various innovative solutions to advance the continent’s education sector in line with the realities of the modern world.

The conference which seeks to explore cutting-edge EdTech solutions through engagement in meaningful discussions, and benefit from the diverse experiences of participants, was organised by Edufirst with support from 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.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC,Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, speaking at the event, insisted that the only sure way to transform basic education in Nigeria and align it with the needs of the century is to pervasively use the newly emerging education technologies.

He explained that the commission hosted the conference because it was convinced that the frontiers of digital development in Nigeria can be pushed further and faster through public-private partnership.

“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 explained.

He said UBEC’s joumey to transform basic education began when, a few years ago, it established smart schools in all the 36 states and the FCT, explaining that,” 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.”

He tasked the conference 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. “

“At the end of the conference, I have no doubt that our various stakeholders will have better insights into innovative solutions, forge meaningful connections with other stakeholders within the larger education ecosystem, and contribute to shaping the future of education in Africa.,”he said.

Bobboyi thanked partners, donors, and stakeholders, especially NBCC, Edufirst and KOICA, the major co-hosts, for their unwavering support towards the continent’s education’s revolution agenda.

“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 tasked0 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.”

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

Noting that EdTech is dynamic, contextual and does not exist in a vacuum,he explained that it “involves more than hardwar.and connectivity.”