When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of learners suddenly found themselves cut off from classrooms, teachers, and peers. In many places, digital learning became a lifeline — a way to stay connected, keep learning going, and maintain a sense of normality in uncertain times. Many initiatives rightly focused on the immediate opportunities offered by digital learning technologies. What began as an emergency response, however, revealed something much bigger: education systems were not only facing a crisis of access, but also a moment of transformation. The question was no longer just how learning could continue online, but what kinds of skills young people would need to thrive in a world that is increasingly digital by default.
As digital technologies increasingly shape how people work, communicate, and participate in society, education must address the full spectrum of digital skills. Basic digital literacy — knowing how to use devices and applications — is only the starting point. Learners also need the ability to think critically about online information, understand their digital rights, protect their data, and act responsibly in digital spaces. Media literacy, online safety, and ethical digital behaviour have become as essential as reading and writing. In this sense, digital education is no longer just about preparing learners for jobs, but about preparing them for life in a digital society.
This is particularly important for societies across Africa, where rapid digital transformation meets a young and growing population. Digital skills open doors to employment, entrepreneurship, and new forms of economic participation. At the same time, they empower young people to engage responsibly with digital media, participate in public discourse, and navigate online spaces with confidence and awareness. Strengthening digital competencies is, therefore, a pathway toward both employability and responsible citizenship, helping to build inclusive, informed, and resilient societies.
These ideas are reflected in the GIZ project GenerationDigital! addressing digital skills development in a holistic manner as foundational for sustainable development in digital societies.
GenerationDigital! – Supporting Digital Skills for the Next Generation
Every day, children and young people connect, learn and express themselves online. They search for information, share ideas and increasingly take part in digital public life. Yet being part of a digital society requires more than access to technology. It takes skills, confidence and supportive systems that help young people navigate the digital world responsibly. This is where GenerationDigital! comes in.
GenerationDigital! is a project of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) that supports 25 African countries in strengthening digital skills development for the next generation. Its objective is to empower education stakeholders and reinforce governance structures within digital ecosystems so that children and youth can thrive in a digital society. These skills go beyond employability. They include critical media literacy, awareness of digital rights, the ability to recognize misinformation and fake news, and meaningful digital participation in public and democratic processes. In this way, GenerationDigital! helps young people become responsible, informed and engaged digital citizens.
The project places children and young people at its heart while working closely with ministries responsible for education or ICT, national civil society organizations and regional networks. Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), it strengthens cooperation across sectors and borders.
Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, GenerationDigital! follows a demand-oriented fund mechanism. Partners propose initiatives based on local needs and national priorities and receive flexible financial and technical support. Through peer learning and regional exchange, promising approaches are shared, adapted and scaled across countries, allowing local innovations to inspire broader change.
By combining local ownership, strong partnerships and shared learning, GenerationDigital! builds more than digital skills — it helps lay the foundations for inclusive, fair and resilient societies in which young people can confidently shape their digital futures.
Learning Together to Shape Digital Education
When representatives from ministries of education, civil society, and other digital education practitioners come together under GenerationDigital!, they bring different contexts but share similar questions: how to equip children and young people with meaningful digital competencies in inclusive and sustainable ways. The project is built on the belief that strong answers emerge through shared experience. In complex and rapidly evolving digital ecosystems, no single actor or country holds all the answers.
Regional exchange events therefore lie at the heart of the project’s approach. They create structured yet open spaces for peer learning, where participants share concrete policies, pilots and lessons learned. Rather than positioning one actor as the expert, the format values horizontal exchange and practical reflection. This strengthens confidence, builds trust and fosters a shared understanding of digital education reform.
As conversations deepen, another dynamic unfolds: ideas begin to travel. A distinctive element of GenerationDigital! is its focus on adaptive replication: it encourages partners to adapt and further develop promising approaches. Successful initiatives are not presented as rigid blueprints, but as inspirations that can be tailored to different national contexts.
Through repeated meetings and virtual follow-ups, these exchanges gradually form communities of practice that extend beyond individual events. These informal yet resilient networks enable professionals to stay connected, revisit questions, share progress and test new ideas collectively. Within these communities, questions can be revisited, progress shared and new ideas tested collectively. The result is not only stronger individual capacities, but also greater institutional memory and regional ownership of digital education reforms.
Panel Conference “Makers and Movers of Africa’s Education Transformation”
As part of the eLearning Africa conference, which will take place from June 3 to June 5, 2026, in Accra, Ghana, a panel discussion titled “Makers and Movers of Africa’s Education Transformation” will be held. In light of the accelerating digital transformation across Africa, the discussion will address the key challenge facing all governments: making digital education resilient, inclusive and sustainable within public education systems.
This panel brings together senior representatives from Ministries of Education and partner institutions to discuss practical approaches to digital skills development and implementation. Speakers from Kenya, Senegal and Madagascar will share experiences on digital inclusion, curriculum integration and reaching learners in diverse environments. Policymakers from other African countries participating in the audience will also contribute their perspectives, highlighting the value of regional exchange and peer learning.
The session will focus on governance, teacher systems, inclusion, scalability and public ownership as foundations for sustainable education transformation.
More Information:
GenerationDigtial!: Supporting digital skills for the next generation (giz.de)
GenerationDigital! The importance of civil society for digital education ecosystems (YouTube)
GenerationDigital! Regional exchange for digital education ecosystems (YouTube)
GenerationDigital! Supporting Digital Skills for the Next Generation (YouTube)
