Senegal is hosting a regional capitalisation seminar on continuing teacher training in Francophone Africa from April 20 to 23, 2026 in Saly, as part of the Francophone Initiative for Distance Teacher Training (IFADEM) and the Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa (RTIA).

Organised by the Ministry of National Education, in partnership with APEFE and the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) through the Francophonie Institute for Education and Training (IFEF), this meeting brings together delegations from Senegal, Benin and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as technical and financial partners.

The aim is to consider scaling up continuing education schemes based on the accumulated knowledge in the three countries.

Sophie Pham-Holliday, education project manager at APEFE, emphasized the maturity achieved by the program. "We are in a dynamic of regional collective learning. The objective is to transform good practices and lessons learned into concrete actions capable of sustainably strengthening education systems," she stated.

The DRC's experience, with over 17 years of IFADEM deployment, is cited as a model for sustainability. In all three countries, the initiative has contributed to strengthening teachers' pedagogical, linguistic, and digital skills, while also structuring national continuing professional development programs.

The Minister of National Education, Moustapha Mamba Guirassy, hailed an initiative that was "essential" for the transformation of African education systems.

"The teacher is at the heart of the educational process. It is he who understands, translates and transmits the issues. Continuing education is therefore a strategic lever to improve the quality of education," he stated.

The minister also highlighted IFADEM's hybrid approach, combining distance learning and traditional teaching tools, making it possible to reach teachers, including in the most remote areas.

While the results recorded in Senegal, Benin, and the DRC are considered satisfactory, challenges remain. Stakeholders specifically mentioned a lack of funding and connectivity issues in certain areas.

To address this, Senegalese authorities are announcing investments in digital infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, to improve access to distance learning.

Beyond the technical aspects, the seminar also opens the debate on adapting training content to national priorities. The minister advocated for better consideration of public policies and the aspirations of the population.

“Training is not enough. We must train according to our realities, to strengthen our cultural and cognitive sovereignty,” he argued.

Thus, for four days, participants will take part in capitalisation workshops, round tables on educational innovations, as well as field visits, particularly in the Diourbel academy.