West African countries are set to scale up efforts to provide safe, quality, and inclusive education to children and young people affected by various crises. The 2nd High-Level Conference on Scaling Education Initiatives in Emergencies (EiE), West Africa – ACCELERATE+, will bring together policymakers, researchers, and education practitioners to address the growing challenges confronting education in crisis situations. The conference aims to examine practical ways to address these challenges and ensure that children and young people have access to education despite being affected by conflict, displacement, and climate-related disasters.
The conference will focus on using policy-relevant evidence to identify and scale education innovations that can improve access, learning, continuity, safety, and well-being of children and young people affected by crises. Participants will assess which innovations are ready for scaling, the conditions required for successful implementation, and the policy and financing mechanisms needed to integrate proven approaches into national and regional education systems. This will enable West African countries to move beyond pilot projects and implement sustainable, large-scale solutions.
Persistent emergencies continue to disrupt schooling, limit access to education, and undermine learning outcomes, with girls and other vulnerable and marginalized children bearing a disproportionate share of the impact. The conference will address these issues by exploring key areas such as education in emergencies and resilient education systems, with an emphasis on strengthening systems to withstand conflict, displacement, and climate shocks. This will involve discussions on foundational learning, e-learning, inclusion, and educational innovation.
The conference will also examine teacher well-being, social protection, and safe learning environments, with particular attention to psychosocial support, safeguarding, girls’ empowerment, and peacebuilding. Discussions will focus on gender, youth, skills development, and the transition to work, including girls’ participation, youth empowerment, and pathways to livelihoods. These discussions aim to ensure that education solutions are inclusive and address the specific needs of vulnerable groups.
Participants will also discuss education financing and innovative resource mobilization, including new approaches to financing education innovations in fragile and crisis-affected settings. The conference seeks to strengthen efforts to move successful education interventions from isolated projects to sustainable, system-wide solutions that can reach more children and young people, particularly those living in crisis-affected communities.
Through collaboration and the sharing of evidence and practical experiences across countries, ACCELERATE+ seeks to support the institutionalization of proven education solutions and contribute to more resilient education systems across West Africa. The initiative ultimately aims to ensure that crises do not become a barrier to children’s right to learn, grow, and build a meaningful future. The conference is expected to achieve this by fostering partnerships and promoting the use of evidence-based solutions.
The 2nd High-Level Conference on Scaling Education Initiatives in Emergencies (EiE), West Africa – ACCELERATE+, is a critical step towards achieving this goal. By bringing together key stakeholders, the conference will facilitate the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and best practices in education in emergencies. This will enable West African countries to develop and implement effective education solutions that can mitigate the impact of crises on children and young people.
Key points
- West African countries are set to intensify efforts to provide safe, quality education to children affected by crises.
- The conference will focus on scaling education innovations that can improve access, learning, continuity, safety, and well-being of children and young people affected by crises.
- The initiative aims to support the institutionalization of proven education solutions and contribute to more resilient education systems across West Africa.
