The conference venue is imposing, with a very large two tiered auditorium which will host the opening and closing sessions and a myriad of smaller rooms spread across two large buildings and a number of floors, where dozens of smaller workshops will take place. The grounds of the conference centre are home to a variety of wildlife; lamas roam the manicured lawns and monkeys can occasionally be seen bounding across the drive. It makes for a pleasant diversion from the hum of busyness throughout the conference centre's carpeted corridors. In its fifth year the e-learning Africa conference has most definitely cast off its experimental tag. It boasts sponsorship from all the big private sector guns such as Microsoft, Intel, Nokia and Oracle, but it’s not to be mistaken for another virgin marketplace for the big investors. Some of ELA's most distinguished guests are from the development sector: UNESCO, the European Commission, IDRC and the list goes on. It’s about forging partnerships, not just selling ware, and the ministries of education are the glue that makes it all stick. GeSCI, ICWE and IICD are hosting a ministerial round table that will address the issue of leadership in ICTs in Education with a particular focus on the creation of inclusive education systems with the support of ICTs. It’s not about technology. It’s not an opportunity to sell products and services. It’s an opportunity for the change makers to engage in dialogue on a subject of critical importance to the development of a relevant education system for African citizens. We go to listen, we go learn, we go to understand what challenges the ministries face in trying to build inclusive education systems with the support of ICTs. By Niamh Brannigan