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AfLIA 2026 Open Education Week Virtual Summit
Tue March 3, 2026 @ 9:00 am - Wed March 4, 2026 @ 4:00 pm GMT
Open Education is reshaping the global learning landscape as it engenders expanded access to open educational resources, and practices. It opens new pathways for achieving inclusive, quality, and equitable education especially for Africa which has the world’s youngest population, with over 60% under 25 and an average median age of 19; an age bracket who needs education to achieve their potential and grow into the workforce for the future. Inadequate educational resources and equity gaps, among other factors, significantly hinder access to education for these young people and others who need to continue learning for professional development and acquisition of modern skills. Open education which opens up possibilities for learning, needs to be vigorously explored for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse of the future as we continue to co-create the Africa We Want.
The African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) strongly believes that African libraries play significant roles in bridging digital and resource gaps between the haves and have-nots. AfLIA also recognizes that library professionals’ expertise in technology, copyright, and licensing, make them natural allies with educators in growing Open Education praxis on the continent. The 2026 Open Education virtual summit by AfLIA and OER Africa therefore seeks to bring African librarians, educators, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders together to share research, case studies, emerging models, and visionary ideas that showcase how Open Education opens the door of possibilities for transformative, quality, inclusive, and equitable education that can positively influence Africa.
Presentation tracks
The virtual summit will address the theme Open Education, Open Possibilities under these six tracks:
a. Libraries as catalysts of Open Education
b. Policy, governance, and institutional strategies for Openness
c. Local knowledge, culture, and community-centered Openness
d. Multistakeholder initiatives, partnerships, and sustainability of Open Education initiatives
e. Open Education for skills development and Lifelong Learning
f. Artificial Intelligence and Open Education
The 2026 Open Education Week Virtual Summit is for:
- LIS practitioners in all library types
- LIS educators
- LIS policymakers
- Educationists
- Instructional designers
- Stakeholders working in the Open Education field
- Organizations and professionals working in partnership with African libraries
Expected Outcomes
The Virtual Summit seeks to find answers to the question of how African library professionals with strategic stakeholders, can play definitive roles in the entrenchment of Open Education practices within the African continent for quality, equitable and inclusive education and lifelong learning. It is expected that by the end of the Virtual Summit, participants will:
- Gain a better understanding of Open Education and how libraries can drive library-led contextualized OER development, training, and advocacy
- Expand their knowledge of multi-stakeholder collaborations and policy frameworks for institutional adoption of OERs
- Be conversant with how libraries can leverage on Open Education Practices (OEP) to support adult learners and non-traditional student populations as well as flexible learning pathways that would enhance workforce development, and digital skills
- Realize how libraries can collaborate with their user communities to use Open Education as a tool for community empowerment and cultural preservation.
- Learn how to ethically and responsibly use AI for Open Education
- Be part of a network for growing Open Education Practices (OEP) in Africa.
Important Dates (Deadlines)
Proposal and Presentation Slides
- Submission of Proposals – Monday, 19th January, 2026
- Notification of Acceptance/Rejection – Saturday, 24th January, 2026
- Submission of full presentation slides – Friday, 20th February, 2025
