This year’s eLearning Africa conference will take place in Kampala, Uganda, on May 28-30, with the main objective of exploring how technology is revolutionising learning and training across the continent.
Under the theme “Opening Frontiers to the Future”, the conference will bring together 1,500 technology and education professionals, among them policy experts, teachers and business leaders.
There will also be inspiring stories, innovations and research that make up today’s complex picture of ICT for development, education and training in Africa shown at the plenaries, sessions and exhibitions.
“Many African countries are seeking to diversify their economies and stimulate sectors such as tourism and finance, but skills shortages are preventing them from doing so,” said Rebecca Stromeyer, founder of eLearning Africa.
“eLearning will allow more and more African countries to easily train the next generation of in-demand workers.”
Iyadunni Olubode, executive director of LEAP and keynote speaker at eLearning Africa, said technology can play a key role in supporting learning.
“eLearning tools, including audio and video, are critical in reaching the continent’s teeming population,” he said.
Another keynote speaker, former permanent secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Information and Communication Dr Bitange Ndemo, believes vocational skills often do not receive the recognition they deserve.
“We have spent many years trying to focus on theory and hoping that it will translate to skills. This is a false belief. Countries that are successful have a strong skills development programme. In Kenya whilst there are many jobs, there is widespread unemployment because the youth lack the skills,” he said.
“This problem can be solved if on-line content in all trades, including soft skills, is widely accessible. Many youth are known to shun vocational training in favour of nonexistent white collar jobs. There is need to encourage the youth to take up blue collar skills that offer many opportunities for training.”
