AU Innovating Education in Africa Program 2026 (Up To $50,000 Grant)

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Applications are open for AU Innovating Education in Africa Program 2026. The AU Innovating Education in Africa Call invites innovators to propose practical education innovations with the potential for sustainability, scalability and replication on a wide scale. We are looking to mobilize continental education innovators to rethink solutions that will help address education and skills development challenges in Africa.

Africa’s education and training systems continue to face persistent challenges in access, equity, quality, relevance, and skills alignment, despite notable progress in recent years. An estimated 20% of children aged 6–11 are out of school, increasing to 33% for those aged 12–14, and about 60% of youth aged 15–17 remain excluded from education, with girls disproportionately affected. Additionally, a shortage of qualified teachers, uneven teacher distribution, limited opportunities for continuous professional development, and a growing mismatch between education outcomes and labour market needs undermine learning quality and employability.

In 2026, IEA expands its scope to explicitly support innovation in Basic Education, Higher Education, TVET, Digital Systems, Green Skills, AI and Robotics ecosystems across Africa.

AU Innovating Education in Africa Program Focus Areas

The 2026 Call particularly welcomes innovations in the following areas:

Innovation in Basic and Secondary Education
- Foundational literacy and numeracy technologies.
- Teacher professional development innovations.
- AI-enabled assessment and adaptive learning.
- Inclusive and gender-responsive education technologies.
Innovation in Higher Education & STI Ecosystems (STISA-Aligned)
- University-industry innovation hubs.
- Research commercialization platforms.
- Digital universities and hybrid learning ecosystems.
- Robotics and advanced STEM centres of excellence.
- STI Infrastructure for Education (Laboratories, Incubators, Science Parks).
Innovation in TVET and Skills Development (Aligned to CTVET-34)
- Digital and AI-integrated TVET training models.
- Robotics, automation and advanced manufacturing training.
- Green and climate-responsive skills development.
- Industry-led apprenticeship and dual training systems.
- Skills mobility and certification frameworks aligned with AfCFTA.
AI, Robotics and Emerging Technologies in Education (AU AI Strategy Aligned)
- Robotics labs in schools and TVET institutions.
- AI-powered skills forecasting tools.
- Simulation-based technical training systems.
- Innovation hubs for youth tech entrepreneurship.
- AI Ethics, Governance, and Data Privacy in Education.

Objectives

We aim to create change by:

Incentivizing innovators to identify major education and skills development challenges in Africa.
Sourcing innovative ideas and solutions to those challenges for adoption replication and scale-up; and
Encouraging innovation partnerships involving education and training institutions, governments, and other key stakeholders.
Supporting policy dialogue and structured engagement between innovators and governments to promote alignment of national digital, greening, AI and robotics strategies with CESA 26-35, CTVET-34, and STISA-2034 priorities.
Supporting Member States in domesticating the AU Continental AI Strategy within the education sector, focusing on capacity building, infrastructure, and ethical use.
Promoting research commercialization and STI infrastructure development aligned with STISA-2034 priorities.

AU Innovating Education in Africa Program Benefits

Successful applicants will benefit from:

Grants of up to USD 50,000 to strengthen interoperability with public education and TVET systems, while generating evidence of impact.
Promotion of innovation to AU Member States, RECs and Development Partners, including publication in the Africa Education & Skills Innovations Handbook 2026.
Certificate of Recognition from the AU Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Capacity building support from partner organizations.
Structured engagement opportunities with Member States to inform national policy dialogues on digital transformation, greening of TVET systems, AI governance and robotics integration aligned with CTVET-34 and STISA-2034.
Participation in the 2026 Innovating Education in Africa Expo and Ministerial Policy Dialogue on CTVET-34 and STISA Alignment.
Contribution to the development of the Continental Policy Toolkit on Digital, Greening, AI, and Robotics Integration in TVET and Higher Education.
Inclusion in the Brief on AI Readiness in African Education Systems and the IEA 2026 Innovation Catalog.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications will be accepted from citizens of AU Member States leading an organization that meets the following criteria.

Successfully implementing an education innovation in one or more AU Member States with verifiable outcomes. An education innovation refers to a product or service being offered by an organization that uses a relatively distinct
approach — with respect to the African context— in addressing challenges in the education system.
Legally registered and licensed to operate in an AU Member State.
Directly responsible for the implementation and management of the innovation, i.e., not acting as an intermediary.
Demonstrates potential for integration into public systems and alignment with continental frameworks including CESA 2026–2035, CTVET 2025–2034, and STISA-2034.

An innovation refers to a product, service, system, technology or institutional model using a relatively distinct approach, within the African context, to address challenges in education, higher education, TVET or skills ecosystems. Representatives from Academia and National Research and Innovation centers, Science Parks, and Technology Transfer Offices are particularly encouraged to apply under the Higher Education & STI Ecosystems pillar.

Evaluation Criteria:

Innovation and distinctiveness.
Scalability and sustainability.
Evidence of measurable impact.
Interoperability with public systems.
Industry relevance (for TVET innovations).
Climate and gender responsiveness.
Alignment with CTVET-34 and STISA-2034 priorities including digitalization, green skills, AI ethics, robotics integration, and STI infrastructure development.
Potential for research commercialization, technology transfer, and STI infrastructure development (for Higher Education innovations).

How To Apply for AU Innovating Education in Africa Program

Submissions should be made online in English or French at https://tinyurl.com/mr29ffcc with the following information.

A brief statement of the challenge being addressed (100 words).
Description of the innovation, specifically how it functions, the implementation approach, the revenue model, and alignment with CESA, CTVET-34, STISA-2034, and/or AU Continental AI Strategy priorities (500 words).
Report on the performance and outcomes of the innovation (500 words).
Description of how the innovation contributes to digital transformation, greening, AI integration (including ethics), robotics capacity, STI infrastructure, research commercialization, or skills alignment with industry (where applicable).
Documentation of business registration and license of operation.

Note: Only one innovation per organization may be submitted. Past IEA grant recipients are not eligible.

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Application Deadline: 30 April 2026 by 23:00 EAT (GMT+3).