Ten Francophone African countries participating in the regional seminar organized by ADEA and the African Union adopt the Continental Framework on National Book and Reading Policies in Africa

Group photo taken after the opening ceremony of the seminar on National Book and Reading Policies in Africa (5-6 Dec. 2019, Abidjan). Photo Credit: ADEA

Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) 13th December 2019 – The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Global Book Alliance (GBA) and the African Union Commission (AUC), in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Francophonie of Côte d'Ivoire, jointly organized a follow-up technical seminar on National Book and Reading Policies (NBRP) in Africa to support quality education for national development through sustained and improved literacy for the benefit of African peoples.

The Abidjan seminar, held from 5th to 6th December 2019, was organized by the Books and Learning Materials (BLM) section of the ADEA’s Inter-Country Quality Pole on Teaching and Learning (ICQN-TL) at the African Development Bank premises. It brought together 22 participants, including National Directors of Books and Reading from 10 French-speaking African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. Also to note the active participation of many international technical partners and actors in the book industry in the  Francophone Africa sub-region, including UNESCO, the Center for Research, Educational Engineering and Training (CERIEF) of Cameroon, the États généraux du livre en langue française (EGLF), the International Association of Francophone Booksellers (AILF), YouScribe, the National Publishers Association of Côte d'Ivoire (ASSEDI), the African Publishers Network (APNET), as well as professionals from the School Libraries sub-sector.

Following the recommendations of the ADEA’s High Level Workshop on National Book and Reading Policies for Africa, held in Nairobi (Kenya) in June 2019, participants in the Abidjan workshop unanimously adopted the "African Union Continental Framework on Book and Reading Policies for Africa" which was the main objective of the workshop.

The deliberations enabled the full attainment of the workshop objectives by ensuring a common understanding of the motivations, pillars, methodology of formulating a national book and reading policy, as well as the adoption of the continental framework on the NBRPs and the commitment of the countries in attendance to make every effort for diligent formulation of NBRPs in their respective countries. 

ADEA is actively collaborating with the African Union Commission and other key partners at the regional and country levels to advocate for the adoption of the Continental Framework for National Book and Reading Policies, and support the formulation of the respective national policies.

For more information, please contact:

  • Aliou Sow, ICQN-TL’s Focal Point of the Books and Learning Materials section (Francophone countries), T. (+224) 62.25.44.826, aliou2sow@yahoo.fr

Media:

  • Stefano De Cupis, Senior Communications Officer, ADEA, T. (+225) 20.26.42.61, s.decupis@afdb.org

 


 

About ADEA

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is the voice of education in Africa and a key network of Education Ministries. It plays a significant role in the education space as a convener, knowledge creator and forum for policy dialogue, working through its Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs) and the Task Force on Education Management and Policy Support. ADEA contributes to the empowerment of African countries to develop quality education and training systems that respond to the countries' emergent needs and drive social and economic transformation sustainably. 

www.adeanet.org

About ICQN-TL-BLM

The ADEA’s Books and Learning Materials section (BLM) of the Inter-Country Quality Node on Teaching and Learning (ICQN-TL) is committed to supporting processes conducive to formulating adequate national book policies that improve the provision of good quality educational materials, effective schooling, and literacy across Africa. It strives to accomplish this by calling on governments, the private sector, development agencies, and civil society to consider a holistic approach that includes substantial input from African partners to achieve viable book policies.

About AU

Africa Union’s objective is to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonization and apartheid; to promote unity and solidarity among African States; to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development; to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and to promote international cooperation within the framework of the United Nations. As a continental organization, AU provides an effective forum that enables all Member States to adopt coordinated positions on matters of common concern to the continent in international fora and defend the interests of Africa effectively.

www.au.int

About GBA

The Global Book Alliance is an international effort involving multiple stakeholders working to transform book development, procurement, distribution, and use to ensure that no child is without books. Its mission is to guarantee that children everywhere have the books and learning materials they need to learn to read and read to learn. New and innovative solutions are needed to solve the learning crisis, and the Global Book Alliance is taking the lead on identifying and implementing these solutions.

www.globalbookalliance.org