African Union Pan-African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education in Africa

Venue: Royal Palace Hotel, Bujumbura, Burundi

Theme: "Prioritising Girls and Women's Education: Develop their skills and accelerate learning and training opportunities"

When: July 02 - 04, 2026

Time: 8:30 am - 05:00 pm CAT (GMT+2) Daily

Speakers:

H.E. Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the AUC,

H.E. Prof. Gaspard Bayankimbona, Commissioner, AUC ESTI;

AU Ministers in charge of Education, Gender, TVETs and ICT

H.E. Stian Christensen, Norwegian Ambassador to the African Union (AU);

Representative of the World Bank Group;

Ms. Violet Kenyana Kakyomya, UN Resident Coordinator, Burundi and representatives from the UN System;

Development Partners, education, and girls' education advocates.

The African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI), through its technical office, the African Union International Centre for Girls and Women's Education in Africa (AU CIEFFA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research of Burundi, is organising the 2nd AU Pan-African Conference on Girls' and Women's Education (AU/PANCOGEd2).

Funded by the World Bank Group through the East Africa Girls' Empowerment and Resilience (EAGER) Project, the Norwegian Embassy to the AU, and UN agencies, the conference will convene over 300 participants, including senior AU decision-makers, civil society organisations (CSOs), development partners, traditional and religious leaders, academic and research institutions, and youth representatives.

The event is aimed at, amongst others, assessing continental progress on Girls' and Women's Education (GWE) since the inaugural AU PANCOGEd1 (2024), facilitating structured peer learning and evidence-based knowledge exchange and developing actionable, regionally relevant policy recommendations and institutional strengthening measures that support Member States to accelerate progress toward gender-responsive education systems.

Participants during the gathering will engage in critical issues on girls' and women's education, including:

Practical sessions on digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and job creation skills for girls and women;

Training using innovative learning models (e-learning, blended learning) and on the importance of leveraging Technology for Inclusive Learning;

Community voices and interactive discussions on skills development for Women and girls in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM); and

Multi-actor sharing experience focused on the crosscutting dimensions of Education in emergency settings and Climate change.

The three-day conference will be held in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and virtual participation. It will feature the 10th AU CIEFFA High-Level Dialogue on Gender Equality in and throughEducation, High-level panel discussions, thematic sessions and side events.

Learn more about this event on: https://aupancoged.org/

For further information, please contact:

Azwe Success Barbara Viof, Communications Officer | African Union International Centre for Girls & Women's Education in Africa | African Union Commission WhatsApp: +226 64 90 44 95 | E-mail: [email protected] | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar, Senior Communication Officer - Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission Tel: +251 904 138 354| E-mail: [email protected] | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail:[email protected]
Web: www.au.int | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Jean-Christophe, Communications Lead, Ministry of Education and Scientific Research, Burundi