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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION
INNOVATING EDUCATION IN AFRICA 2023
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Deadline: 30 June 2023, 23:00 (GMT+3)
1. Background
The advent of COVID-19 has exacerbated challenges in Africa’s education and
training systems and reinforced the need for innovative solutions that are fit for
purpose and can be scaled up sustainably to meet the continually evolving context of
education and training. Although the education deficit in Africa is large, significant
progress has been made over the past decade. About a fifth of children between the
ages of 6-11 are out of school, whereas for children between 12-14 exclusion is about
33%; and an estimated 60% of youth between the ages of 15-17 not in school, with
girls more negatively affected. Thus, access remains a challenge at different levels.
In this context, Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) was established in 2018 by the
African Union (AU) with the aim of identifying, promoting, and supporting the systemic
adoption and replication of education innovations in all aspects of education and
training in Africa. The IEA program is designed to generate and validate solutions to
persistent education and training challenges in Africa and to support the expansion
and scale of effective solutions. Since the inception of the program, over 1,500
education stakeholders across Africa have been engaged, and 180 innovations have
been promoted and supported with up to 1 million USD.
IEA Call
The AU Innovating Education in Africa Call invites innovators to propose new and
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 especially as countries emerge from COVID-19.
We aim to create change by:
a) Incentivizing innovators to identify major education and skills development
challenges in Africa.
AFRICAN UNION
UNION AFRICAINE
UNIÃO AFRICANA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: 00 251 11 518 2005 Fax: 00 251 11 551 7844
Website: www.au.int
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b) Sourcing innovative ideas and solutions to those challenges for adoption
replication and scale-up; and
c) Encouraging innovation partnerships involving education and training
institutions, governments, and other key stakeholders.
2. 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.
3. 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, and the revenue model (500 words).
• Report on the performance and outcomes of the innovation (500 words).
• Documentation of business registration and license of operation.
Please note that no more than one innovation may be submitted by an organization;
failure to comply will lead to disqualification. Recipients of grants under the IEA
programme in the past are not eligible to apply.
Deadline for submissions: 30 June 2023 by 23:00 (GMT+3). Inquiries may be sent to
[email protected]
4. Evaluation and selection process
Submissions will undergo the following process.
Activity
Timeline
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Eligibility Check
19-21 July 2023
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ii
Technical review and
Shortlisting
22 July –
7 August 2023
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Early Pitch (Virtual)
13 September 2023
iv
Final Pitch (TBC)
October 2023
5. Benefits for successful applicants
Successful applicants will benefit from one or more of the following:
• Receive grants of up to 100,000 USD to strengthen the interoperability of
innovations with public education systems, while collecting evidence on
effectiveness.
• Promotion of Innovation to AU Member States and Development Partners,
including publication in the Africa Education Innovations Handbook 2023.
• Certificate of recognition from the Commissioner of Education, Science,
Technology, and Innovation of the African Union.
• Capacity Building for Innovators by Partner Organizations.