EAC Steps Up Regional Action on Education as Nairobi Conference Calls for Stronger Cooperation

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 27^th August, 2026: East African Partner States have committed to strengthening education systems, improving learning outcomes and increasing investment in teachers, skills and equity at the opening of the 2nd East African Community (EAC) Regional Education Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

The 4-day Conference has brought together more than 600 education leaders, policymakers and stakeholders from across the eight EAC Partner States to address persistent learning gaps, unequal access to education, skills mismatches and growing pressure on education systems.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Chief Guest, Hon. Beatrice Askul Moe, Cabinet Secretary for East African Community (EAC) and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, representing the President of the Republic of Kenya, called for greater investment in teacher education, professional development and improved working environments.

"As regional integration deepens, our systems must become more interoperable. A child moving between Partner States should not have their education interrupted because they crossed a border," she added.

Hon. Askul also called for education systems that promote equity and enable greater mobility of learners across the region.

"Curriculum transformation without teacher transformation cannot succeed. As a region, we should regard our teachers not simply as employees of national systems, but as a community of East African professionals," she said.

The Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs of Uganda, called for stronger regional cooperation and harmonisation of education systems, noting that education must support the region's integration agenda and prepare learners to participate in an increasingly interconnected East African economy.

She emphasised the need to align education policies, curricula and qualifications to facilitate the mobility of learners and skills across Partner States while ensuring that education systems respond to the region's shared development priorities.

On his end, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Ariik Malueth, highlighted the progress the Community has made in establishing regional frameworks to support Partner States to advance together in education.

"At basic education level, the EAC has developed strategies to support harmonisation and strengthen the foundations for lifelong learning and skills development. At TVET level, the EAC TVET Qualifications Framework has been developed and is awaiting approval, which will support greater recognition of qualifications, skills mobility and stronger alignment between training and the regional labour market," he said.

Hon. Malueth also highlighted the region's work on guidelines for compiling education statistics to strengthen the availability of comparable and reliable evidence for regional education policy. The programme has also supported the revision of the primary school curriculum to incorporate Statistics, strengthening analytical capability from an early stage.

At higher education level, the EAC is advancing the East African Common Higher Education and Research Area, with emphasis on harmonisation, innovation, partnerships and mobility of knowledge and skilled graduates across the region.

"These initiatives demonstrate that regional cooperation in education is already producing practical frameworks. Our responsibility now is to ensure that these frameworks translate into better learning, stronger institutions, relevant skills and greater opportunities for East Africans," Hon. Malueth said.

On his end, the Minister for Education, Science and Technology of Tanzania, Prof. Adolf Mkenda, called for greater focus on foundational learning as the basis for improved education outcomes, alongside continued investment in teachers, quality education and skills development. He underscored the importance of strengthening education systems to equip learners with the knowledge, competencies and adaptability required in a changing world of work.

While Partner States have expanded access and pursued major reforms, persistent inequalities continue to affect children in rural and marginalised communities, learners with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Learning quality remains uneven, while teacher shortages, resource constraints and weak transitions between education levels continue to limit opportunities for many young people.

Dr Mary Goretti, Executive Director of Uwezo Uganda and Board Chair of RELI Africa, described the Conference as an important platform for policy dialogue, bringing together policymakers, researchers, practitioners and other education actors to exchange evidence and shape practical responses to shared challenges. She called for stronger links between evidence, policy and implementation to ensure that reforms translate into improved learning outcomes.

The Conference is examining progress since the inaugural regional education conference held in Arusha in 2024, identifying implementation gaps and building agreement around actions requiring greater political, technical and financial commitment.

Priority areas include early and foundational learning, teacher capacity and professional development, inclusive education, digitalisation and innovation, TVET and skills development, stronger links between education and industry, research and data, and sustainable education financing and governance.

The Conference has brought together partners and stakeholders including UNICEF, GIZ EAC, RELI Africa, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Mzizi Elimu Afrika, PAL Network, EASTECo, IUCEA, FAWE and the Association of African Higher Education Financing Agencies (AAHEFA), among others.

The Conference is expected to generate practical policy recommendations and implementation actions, strengthen regional consensus on education priorities and contribute to a Conference Communiqué or roadmap setting out agreed commitments, priority initiatives, timelines and next steps.

Notes to Editors:

About the EAC Regional Education Conference

• The EAC Regional Education Conference is a regional platform for governments and education stakeholders to review progress, exchange evidence and experience, strengthen partnerships and develop practical responses to shared education challenges.
• The Conference grew out of the EAC Sectoral Council's approval of a Regional Forum on Education and reflects the Partner States' commitment to cooperate in education, training, science and technology. Its wider agenda aligns with EAC Vision 2050, the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2026-2035), African Union Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goal 4.

For more information, please contact:

Lillian Kiarie
Communications & Media Expert- Office of the EAC Secretary General
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +254 723 797 226
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.eac.int

About the East African Community:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The EAC aims to expand and deepen economic, political, social, and cultural integration to improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa through increased competitiveness, value-added production, trade, and investment.