Application Deadline: 30 April 2026 by 23:00 EAT (GMT+3).
Applications are now open for the 2026 African Union Innovating Education in Africa. Africa’s education and training systems continue to face persistent challenges in access, equity, quality, relevance, and skills alignment, despite notable progress in recent years. An estimated 20% of children aged 6–11 are out of school, increasing to 33% for those aged 12–14, and about 60% of youth aged 15–17 remain excluded from education, with girls disproportionately affected. Additionally, a shortage of qualified teachers, uneven teacher distribution, limited opportunities for continuous professional development, and a growing mismatch between education outcomes and labour market needs undermine learning quality and employability.
By anchoring innovation in these continental frameworks, the Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) 2026 initiative seeks to catalyze education systems that are not only more equitable and effective, but also more adaptive, research-informed, and future-ready. The 2026 IEA Call is therefore aligned with:
- Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2026–2035);
- Continental TVET Strategy (CTVET 2025–2034);
- AU Digital Education Strategy (DES);
- AU Decade of Education and Skills Development (2025–2034);
- Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2034);
- AU Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy;
- Agenda 2063 Aspiration 1 and 6.
In this context, Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) was established in 2018 by the African Union (AU) to identify, promote, and support systemic adoption and replication of transformative innovations across education and training systems in Africa.
Since inception:
- Over 1,500 education stakeholders engaged;
- 180 innovations promoted;
- Up to USD 1 million mobilized to support scaling and validation.
- In 2026, IEA expands its scope to explicitly support innovation in Basic Education, Higher Education, TVET, Digital Systems, Green Skills, AI and Robotics ecosystems across Africa.
The AU Innovating Education in Africa Call invites innovators to propose practical education innovations with the potential for sustainability, scalability and replication on a wide scale. We are looking to mobilize continental education innovators to rethink solutions that will help address education and skills
development challenges in Africa.
Eligibility Criteria
Applications will be accepted from citizens of AU Member States leading an organization that meets the following criteria.
- Successfully implementing an education innovation in one or more AU Member States with verifiable outcomes. An education innovation refers to a product or service being offered by an organization that uses a relatively distinct approach — with respect to the African context— in addressing challenges in the education system.
- Legally registered and licensed to operate in an AU Member State.
- Directly responsible for the implementation and management of the innovation, i.e., not acting as an intermediary.
- Demonstrates potential for integration into public systems and alignment with continental frameworks including CESA 2026–2035, CTVET 2025–2034, and STISA-2034.
Benefits for successful applicants
Successful applicants will benefit from:
- Grants of up to USD 50,000 to strengthen interoperability with public education and TVET systems, while generating evidence of impact.
- Promotion of innovation to AU Member States, RECs and Development Partners, including publication in the Africa Education & Skills Innovations Handbook 2026.
- Certificate of Recognition from the AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
- Capacity building support from partner organizations.
- Structured engagement opportunities with Member States to inform national policy dialogues on digital transformation, greening of TVET systems, AI governance and robotics integration aligned with CTVET-34 and STISA-2034.
- Participation in the 2026 Innovating Education in Africa Expo and Ministerial policy Dialogue on CTVET-34 and STISA Alignment.
- Contribution to the development of the Continental Policy Toolkit on Digital, Greening, AI, and Robotics Integration in TVET and Higher Education.
- Inclusion in the Brief on AI Readiness in African Education Systems and the IEA 2026 Innovation Catalog.
Application Procedure
Submissions should be made online in English or French at https://tinyurl.com/mr29ffcc with the following information.
- A brief statement of the challenge being addressed (100 words).
- Description of the innovation, specifically how it functions, the implementation approach, the revenue model, and alignment with CESA, CTVET-34, STISA-2034, and/or AU Continental AI Strategy priorities (500 words).
- Report on the performance and outcomes of the innovation (500 words).
- Description of how the innovation contributes to digital transformation, greening, AI integration (including ethics), robotics capacity, STI infrastructure, research commercialization, or skills alignment with industry (where applicable).
- Documentation of business registration and license of operation.
Note: Only one innovation per organization may be submitted. Past IEA grant recipients are not eligible.
- Deadline for submissions: 30 April 2026 by 23:00 EAT (GMT+3).
- Inquiries may be sent to: Mr. Chigozie Emmanuel Okonkwo – Education and Skills Advisor | Email:
[email protected]
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the African Union Innovating Education in Africa
