Africa is home to the world’s youngest population. Over the coming decades, hundreds of millions of young Africans will pass through schools, universities, training institutions and informal learning pathways in the hope that education will open doors to opportunity, prosperity and meaningful work.
But what if the world they are being prepared for is disappearing?
That is the provocative question at the centre of this year’s eLearning Africa Debate, which returns to Accra on Friday, 5 June, for what has become one of the conference’s most anticipated and best-attended sessions.
The motion before the House is:
“This House believes Africa’s education systems are preparing young people for a world that no longer exists – and setting them up to fail as a result.”
As always, the motion is deliberately provocative. Yet behind the rhetoric lies a question that sits at the heart of discussions taking place across Africa and throughout this year’s conference.
The assumptions underpinning education have long been remarkably consistent. Study hard. Gain qualifications. Develop skills. Move into employment. Build a career.
For generations, this pathway shaped education policy, curriculum design and public expectations.
Today, however, the landscape is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries. Entire categories of work are evolving or disappearing. Informal employment remains dominant across much of the continent. New forms of entrepreneurship are emerging. Economic uncertainty, demographic growth and technological disruption are altering labour markets at a pace few could have predicted even a decade ago.
At the same time, governments, institutions and employers are grappling with increasingly urgent questions. What knowledge, skills and capabilities will young people need in the future? How should education respond to careers that may not yet exist? What is the balance between foundational knowledge and adaptability? And how can learning systems prepare people not simply for employment, but for lifelong change?
These are the questions confronting policymakers, educators, employers and learners across Africa every day.
They are also questions that speak directly to the theme of eLearning Africa 2026, “Africa’s Time, Africa’s Terms: Learning for Sovereignty, Strength and Solidarity.”
If Africa is to shape its own future on its own terms, education and skills development will play a decisive role. But what should those systems look like in an era of rapid technological and economic transformation? Are they evolving quickly enough, or does the scale of change require a more fundamental rethink?
Taking on these questions will be four speakers representing different sectors, experiences and perspectives.
Joining the debate are Ann Aseye Donya of the Students Union (AASU), Ghana; Maximilian Bankole Jarrett of The Africa-Barbados Heritage Initiative (TABHI), Côte d’Ivoire; Efua Adabie of the Breaking Doors Foundation, Ghana; and Adam Salkeld of Digital Learning Associates (DLA), United Kingdom.
Together they bring experience spanning youth leadership, social impact, policy, development, innovation and education. Their task will not be to find agreement, but to persuade the audience.
The debate will be chaired by Hon. Michael Onyango of the 4gotten Bottomillions, Kenya , who will guide proceedings in the lively parliamentary-style format that has made the session a conference favourite since its introduction in 2009.
What makes the eLearning Africa Debate unique is that delegates are not merely spectators. Audience members are encouraged to challenge speakers, question assumptions and contribute their own perspectives throughout the session. By the end, the audience itself decides the outcome through a vote.
Over the years, the Debate has tackled some of the most contentious issues in education, technology and society. It has generated heated exchanges, unexpected alliances and more than a few surprises. Frequently, delegates find themselves changing their minds as the arguments unfold.
This year’s debate looks set to continue that tradition.
As eLearning Africa 2026 draws to a close, few questions could be more important. If education remains Africa’s most powerful investment in the future, how can it respond to a world being transformed by technology, demographic change and new economic realities?
Expect strong opinions. Expect disagreement. Expect audience interventions. And expect a vote that could go either way.
Above all, expect a debate that continues long after the session ends.
Join us on Friday, 5 June, from 16:30–18:15 for the Closing Debate of eLearning Africa 2026.
