Digital School Showcases Its Role In Advancing Digital Education At ELearning Africa 2025

The Digital School, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, recently participated in the 18th eLearning Africa Conference and Exhibition in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This event is a major platform for digital education and skills development on the continent. The Digital School showcased its efforts in digital transformation in education, forming partnerships to offer advanced learning opportunities in underserved regions.

During the conference, the Digital School signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tanzania's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. This agreement aims to boost cooperation in digital education and empower African youth. Professor Adolf Mkenda, Tanzania’s Minister of Education, Khalifa Al Marzouqi, UAE Ambassador to Tanzania, and Hend Al Muhairbi attended the signing ceremony.

The Digital School led a high-level delegation at the conference, including strategic partners like the "Ataya" initiative by Emirates Red Crescent and CERT. The UAE's sponsorship aligns with Ataya’s 2025 goal to support e-learning projects in Africa through various initiatives. The conference attracted over 1,500 participants from more than 80 countries, including ministers and international organisation representatives.

Dr. Waleed Al Ali highlighted that the Digital School’s participation reflects growing global confidence in its innovative model for advancing digital education. He stated that digital learning is essential today—a bridge to hope and a promise of a better future for communities lacking quality education access.

The Digital School announced its first regional office launch in Tanzania to support the SkillED Academies Project. This initiative collaborates with IIT Madras in Zanzibar as an academic partner and CERT under a trilateral agreement. The new office will aid digital education across Africa through applied research and training aligned with national priorities.

Professor Caroline Nombo expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with the Digital School: "We have recently developed our national curricula to emphasise technology's importance in education. We are very excited about this partnership as it will facilitate our digital transformation journey."

Workshops and Meetings

A ministerial session hosted by the Digital School brought together African ministers to discuss accelerating access to education through technology. A specialised workshop followed, focusing on national strategies for digital education transformation and youth skills-building programmes' role in economic development.

The Digital School held over 12 bilateral meetings with ministries and organisations to explore cooperation opportunities in digital education. This interest highlights African nations' increasing focus on advancing digital education.

Showcasing Innovation

At the exhibition, innovative projects like SkillED Academies were showcased by the Digital School and Ataya. Launched during the World Governments Summit 2025, this initiative aims to empower African youth with digital skills aligned with labour market needs.

Al Hammadi emphasised innovation's role in reshaping education's future. He noted CERT’s presence alongside the Digital School highlights UAE’s vision of education as a strategic enabler for human empowerment globally by equipping individuals with necessary knowledge for the digital age.

Conference Impact

The eLearning Africa Conference has been pivotal since its inception 19 years ago, hosting over 22,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Supported by organisations like UNESCO and major tech firms such as Microsoft and Google, it serves as a strategic platform shaping Africa's digital education future.

The event underscored Ataya’s humanitarian efforts in education while spotlighting initiatives like SkillED Academies launched across several African countries with collaboration from the Digital School.

With inputs from WAM