1–2 December 2025: Pointe Sarène, Thiès – Senegal
GESCI organized a meeting for the KIX Africa 19 Focal Points’ from 19 Ministries of Education in Africa, alongside UNESCO-IICBA, UNICEF ESARO, and African Union’s Pan African Institute of Education for Development (AU-IPED), Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Under the GPE Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) - a joint initiative with Canada’s IDRC, the meeting focused on strengthening evidence uptake, peer learning, and policy alignment across education systems in Africa. While the meeting convened focal points from most KIX Africa 19 countries, Rwanda and Tanzania were not represented during this meeting.
Across the two days, a central message stood out: Africa needs more evidence use, not just evidence generation.
Day 1 centered on inclusion, disability education, and data systems. Kenya and Lesotho shared lessons from their peer exchange on curriculum adaptation, assessment, teacher education, and functional assessment for learners with disabilities - demonstrating how peer learning can drive meaningful reform. Sudan and Somalia reinforced that inclusive education is not a standalone programme but a lens through which education systems should be planned, resourced, and evaluated. Sudan emphasized the importance of sustained government commitment and cross-sector coordination as critical enablers of inclusive education reform. Somalia reflected on their decade-long process of defining inclusive education in a fragile context, noting how cultural barriers and examination practices can exclude learners if inclusion is not deliberately designed.
The discussions then turned to data systems, where AU-IPED presented the status of EMIS policies across KIX Africa 19 countries. While progress is evident, the absence of EMIS policies in several countries remains a critical gap, reinforcing the need for coherent, reliable data to inform planning and ensure meaningful inclusion. Cross-country learning continued to show impact, including Lesotho’s inclusive education roadmap, Nigeria’s Education Data Bank and teacher training reforms, and Kenya’s gender-responsive policy shifts all reflecting the tangible impact of KIX-supported collaboration. Uganda was also referenced as an example of how EMIS can support decentralized decision-making, particularly at district level. The discussion went on to acknowledge global challenges in disability data collection, including the need for clear definitions and parameters, with reference to the Washington Group standards.
Day 2 built on this momentum with a deeper focus on evidence uptake strategies, 2026 priorities, and the evolving role of KIX focal points. Strengthening disability data and EMIS functionality emerged as shared priorities.
Evidence use in action was also showcased - Liberia’s costed EMIS action plan, Uganda’s growing Evidence Labs model, and Sierra Leone’s work on teacher management reforms all demonstrated how countries are translating research and peer learning into policy and system improvements.
The meeting reaffirmed that KIX is more than a platform - it is a growing community of practice.
Focal points are increasingly driving evidence use within their ministries, championing data, inclusion, and peer learning.