UNESCO hosts pilot course for digital transformation school in Africa

Artificial Intelligence is expected to generate $1.2 trillion to the African economy by 2030, according to intgovforum.org. The continent is also home to the world’s fastest-growing youth population. Yet sustained capacity-building efforts remain necessary to enable the region to seize those economic opportunities through robust governance frameworks and inclusive technology adoption, intgovforum.org reported.

UNESCO Pilot Course and Consultations at the 21st IGF

The School of Digital Transformation in Africa held a two-hour consultation and pilot course on Day 0 of the 21st Internet Governance Forum, intgovforum.org reported. The session was designed to refine the course concept together with key African stakeholders and regional partners. The initiative builds on the success of similar schools in Latin America and the Caribbean that empower policymakers and regulators with cutting-edge knowledge.

The opening event operated in a hybrid format with both onsite and online participants. Alexandre Barbosa, head of CETIC.br, and Misako Ito, regional advisor for communication and information at the UNESCO Office in Nairobi, served as onsite moderators. Prateek Sibal, programme specialist for digital policies and digital transformation at UNESCO, acted as the online moderator, while Teow Junhao served as rapporteur.

Curriculum Focus Areas for African Civil Servants

The first half of the pilot course featured expert presentations on the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation in Africa. Participants examined data governance for AI and explored AI fundamentals, including the AI product management cycle and practical use cases in African public administration. Following these presentations, attendees joined a consultation session to provide direct input on the design and delivery of the curriculum.

A core objective of the school is strengthening the institutional capacity of African organizations to produce, interpret, and use data throughout the policy cycle. Institutions must measure the social and economic impacts of AI and emerging technologies to translate evidence into inclusive public policies. The program equips civil servants with the skills required to support a rights-respecting digital transformation.

Institutional Gaps Identified in Prior UNESCO Research

The curriculum directly addresses institutional capacity gaps identified through UNESCO research and consultations. UNESCO’s Data Governance Programme, launched in July 2025, gathered evidence from more than 200 stakeholders across 56 countries, including 24 African nations. Those consultations highlighted five recurring challenges: data quality, data utilisation, sharing and interoperability, regulatory capacity and funding, and public trust.

Prior surveys revealed specific readiness deficits among public sector organizations. Seventy-eight percent of respondents across 25 countries requested UNESCO support for training government officials, while 22 countries requested help developing AI policies. Furthermore, only 9% of judicial operators had received AI-related training despite 44% reporting that they had already used AI tools in their professional work. African ICT policymakers and regulators also pointed to insufficient legal frameworks and limited technical capacity for data management as major barriers.

Partner Organizations and Remote Collaboration

The pilot course brought together multiple international and regional institutions. Collaborating bodies include the UNESCO Regional Centre for Studies for the Development of the Information Society, the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence, Smart Africa, the Kenya School of Government, and the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development. The International Telecommunication Union also participated as a contributor.

Online participants engaged in the course pilot on equal terms with those attending in person. UNESCO staff onsite facilitated digital interactions by surfacing remote inputs for live discussion during the roundtable sessions.