With the general closings of schools, universities and technical and vocational training institutions, following the COVID-19 crisis, the education sector and more specifically, Higher Education and TVET institutions, have taken the forced turn of online courses and distance learning. African States which were not prepared for this situation are now facing a multidimensional crisis: health, educational, pedagogical, scientific, economic and social. The repercussions on the education and university systems are unprecedented, and risk undermining the efforts made to achieve the SDG4.

It is in this context that the UNESCO Regional Offices in Abuja and Nairobi organized two webinars on the theme: “COVID-19: Higher Education and TVET in Africa: Challenges and Solutions through ICTs, l 'E-Learning, Distance Education and Digital Inclusion”

The two activities aimed to support countries in the provision of Higher Education through distance and online platforms. Abuja and Nairobi Regional Offices have mobilised UN agencies, International Organizations, such as, AU, ITU, ECOWAS, UEMOA, AAU, AUF, Virtual universities, IT companies, and distance education, telecom and Internet service providers’ members of Global Coalition for Education.

Each meeting brought together over 130 participants and was opened by the remarks of Ms. Stefania Giannini, the UNESCO Assistant Director General for Education. Other dignitaries who attended the meeting included Mr. Mahama Ouedraogo, Director of HR and ST of AU, Mr. Leopoldo Amado, Commissioner of ECOWAS, Mr. Filiga Sawadogo, Commissioner of UEMOA , Regional Directors of UNDP, IUT, UNEP, AUF, Deputy Secretary General of AAU, Directors of the UNESCO Regional offices in Africa, and the Director of IITE. The meeting was chaired by Mr. YDO YAO and Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta and co-chaired by Regional Directors of UNESCO Offices in Africa.

Ms Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director General of Education, in her opening remarks, invited all the partners of the Global Coalition for Education, to bet on one hand, on equity and digital inclusion, and on the second hand, on technological and ecologically sustainable solutions, when they are planning to provide E-leaning solutions for African universities. In addition, she said, the mobilization of the Global Coalition for Education is not a one-off action, but a structural, concerted and multilateral approach with partners, anxious to lay the foundations for digital education in Africa.

Each meeting continued for two and half hours and partners shown the large range of technological solutions, contents, capacity building, infrastructures and equipment  they can provide to support African universities in the successfully implementation of E-Learning.

As follow up, each Regional Office decided to go down to country level identification of needs and provision of tangible support as quickly as possible. The Commissioner of UEMOA, Mr. Filiga Sawadogo, said that his organization will probably launch the phase two of PADTICE, in 2021.