elearning africa

The video report of eLearning Africa is now available online. Featuring the voices and opinions of participants, speakers and exhibitors, this video provides an insight into why participants took part and what their concerns are for the future of eLearning on the African continent.

Those interviewed highlighted just some of the challenges faced including the lack of affordable access and described what it meant to be part of such a large and international gathering. ATiT staff collaborated with ICWE, the organisers of eLearning Africa in the production of this video. eLearning Africa 2009 takes place 27-29 May in Dakar, Senegal.

1449 Participants from 83 countries – almost 80% of whom were African - took part in the 3rd eLearning Africa Conference which took place in the Accra International Conference Centre from 28-30 May. Wednesday 28th of May saw a well attended pre-conference programme with many workshops and sessions, the conference exhibition also opened on Wednesday and attracted lots of visitors.

On Thursday, May 29th the event was officially opened by His Excellency Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. Speakers in the Opening Plenary included The Hon Prof Dominic K. Fobih, Minister for Education, Science and Sports, Ghana and Prof Osei Darkwa, Ghana Telecom University College, Ghana, who talked about “eLearning, the New Educational Paradigm, and the Promise of Open and Distance Learning”. George Siemens, Lecturer at University of Manitoba Learning Technologies Centre, Canada, who is one of the most innovative thinkers in the field of eLearning presented his thoughts on “A Narrative of Learning for a World Without Boundaries”; Aida Opoku-Mensah, Director ICT, Science and Technology Division with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Ethiopia, gave a very interesting presentation about the UN-led practical strategies and programmes that will help lead Africa towards the realisation of digital inclusion: “Creating the Enabling Environment for eLearning in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities”; finally Kuno Jung, CEO of the Swiss eLearning technology provider Eduvision, outlined the educational vision of his company: “The Lost Footage of Back to the Future Part II: The Classrooms in 2015”.

Thursday's Opening Plenary marked the kick-off for two more days of sessions, discussions and debates around ICT-supported education and training in Africa. 315 speakers and chairpersons from 54 countries offered an abundance of opportunities for participants to learn, share and network with colleagues from all over the world. With 4 plenary sessions, 66 sessions in 11 parallel conference strands, 48 demonstrations and best practice examples, 15 Nnobia networking sessions, 14 pre-conference events and a number of exciting new features, eLearning Africa 2008 was an important landmark in pan-African capacity building for ICT-enhanced education and training.

See the conference website for more information: www.elearning-africa.com

A recent article by Mathy Vanbuel carried in the eLearning Africa News Portal puts forward his views as to why ICTs are crucial for the Continent's development. It traces the evolution from small scale pilot projects in different countries to large-scale implementation actions, with the potential to provide a basis for sustainable change. It highlights the fact that Africa is leading the world in finding ways to utilise mobile phones, wireless networking, solar energy and reusable energy sources, but also points out the need to be realistic given the many demands on Africa's limited resources. The forthcoming eLearning Africa conference, http://www.elearning-africa.com taking place 28-30 May in Accra, Ghana offers an important opportunity to further this discussion and more specifically to focus on the importance of ICT in education and training within this perspective.

To read the full article, visit the eLearning Africa News Portal.

eLearning Africa 2008, takes place from May 28 to 30, 2008 in Accra, Ghana. This will be the 3rd International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training, following highly successful conferences in Ethiopia (2006) and Kenya (2007). The deadline for receipt of proposals to actively play a role in the conference agenda is Friday, December 7, 2007. For more information, visit the conference web site http://www.elearning-africa.com/index.php

Sally Reynolds and Mathy Vanbuel, ATiT, were both involved in the eLearning Africa Conference in Addis (Ethiopia) from 24 till 26 May 2006. The conference attracted over 800 experts and decision makers from over 80 countries (but with a large majority from African countries) and certainly sparked a lot of enthusiasm with the attendees. More information and conclusions on the ICWE eLearning Africa website.