New York, USA – September 23, 2025

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the Hempel Foundation has announced a landmark two-year partnership aimed at supporting the continental push to end learning poverty in a decade, as committed by countries at the 2024 Africa Foundational Learning Exchange (FLEX 2024) held in Kigali, Rwanda. The effort will help to enhance accountability, transparency, and capacity for foundational learning in Africa.

The project, titled “Promoting Better Governance: Enhancing Accountability and Capacity in Foundational Learning in Africa”, will directly benefit an initial five countries, including with two additional countries under consideration for further expansion of the initiative.

The announcement was made on Tuesday 23rd September, on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York, immediately following ADEA’s co-hosted side event "Disrupt to Deliver: Financing the Future of Foundational Learning in Africa."

According to Anders Holm, CEO of the Hempel Foundation,

“At the Hempel Foundation, we believe that achieving systemic, lasting change in education begins with empowered, capable, and accountable institutions. From the momentum built at Freetown FLEX 2023 to the commitments made in Kigali at FLEX 2024, we have partnered with governments and education leaders to elevate foundational learning as a continental priority. We are proud to deepen this commitment through our new partnership with ADEA, which holds tremendous potential to accelerate progress towards achieving the FLEX 2024 Kigali Declaration and ending learning poverty by 2035.” 

The Executive Secretary of ADEA, Albert Nsengiyumva says,

“This partnership is a strong endorsement of our vision for foundational learning as outlined in ADEA’s 2024–2028 Strategic Plan. It aligns directly with the commitments made by African governments in the FLEX2024 Kigali Declaration to end learning poverty by 2035. Together with the Hempel Foundation, we are taking a significant step forward to make that vision a reality by strengthening access to support that will strengthen the capacity of governments to achieve their foundational learning goals.”

The project is expected to strengthen accountability, transparency, and capacity for government action leveraging the annual Foundational Learning Exchange (FLEX) event, where countries are expected to showcase their progress since FLEX 2024.It will also enhance ADEA’s leading role in promoting foundational learning across the continent, improving its institutional effectiveness, technical expertise, and organizational sustainability.

The project will empower governments to take ownership of their foundational learning agendas and deepen knowledge exchange among education leaders. It builds on ADEA’s tradition of peer learning, knowledge exchange and policy dialogue, while also supporting internal investments in leadership, technical tools, and regional coordination.

About ADEA

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a critical voice for education in Africa. Our mission is to empower African countries to reform their education systems and position themselves for sustainable development. We work with governments, development partners, and civil society to shape policies that improve education systems and learning outcomes. We are hosted by the African Development Bank Group in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. ADEA’s vision is to create ‘a high quality African education and training geared towards the promotion of critical knowledge and skills for accelerated and sustainable development in Africa.’ ADEA operates through three main organs, the General Assembly, the Secretariat, and the Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs).

About the Hempel Foundation

The Hempel Foundation is a philanthropic organization headquartered in Denmark, driven by a global ambition to ensure that every child has access to quality foundational learning. With a particular focus on improving reading and math proficiency, the Foundation invests in cost-effective, scalable solutions that address the needs of learners in low-resource settings. It also works to promote stronger government leadership and action to end the global learning crisis.

Press Contacts:

Chinedu Anarado / Communications Specialist, ADEA
Email: C.ANARADO@AFDB.ORG 
Phone: +2347031896630
Website: www.adeanet.org

Cecilie Weinholt-Ludvigsen / Head of Communications, Hempel Foundation
Email: CEW@hempel.com
Phone: +4533123842
Website: www.hempel.com