The African Union has opened applications for its 2026 Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) programme, offering grants of up to $50,000 to support scalable education solutions across the continent.
The initiative, announced by the AU’s Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, is to address long-standing gaps in Africa’s education and skills development systems.
Applications for the programme are open to innovators across AU Member States, with a submission deadline of April 30, 2026.
According to the AU, the programme comes at a time when Africa continues to face deep structural challenges in education, including access gaps, poor learning outcomes, and a growing mismatch between education systems and labour market demands.
They stated that about 20% of children aged 6–11 are out of school, rising to 33% for ages 12–14, while nearly 60% of youth aged 15–17 are excluded from education, with girls disproportionately affected.
Selected innovations will receive funding support, visibility, and opportunities to engage directly with policymakers and development partners to scale their solutions.
The 2026 edition expands its focus to include innovations in basic and secondary education, higher education, and technical and vocational training across Africa.
Practical, scalable solutions that improve learning outcomes, strengthen teacher development, and better align education with job market needs.
Key areas include AI-powered learning and assessment tools, digital universities, robotics and STEM training, green skills development, and industry-led apprenticeship programmes.
The programme also prioritises emerging technologies such as AI and robotics and solutions that address data privacy and ethical use of technology in education.
