28.05.2025
Educational innovation as a driver of change in Africa is the focus of an event promoted by ProFuturo
ProFuturo Africa Day
The event has brought together leaders of African organizations, teachers, activists, and representatives from the public and private sector in cooperation matters, among whom were UNHCR, Save the Children, World Vision, Fundación “la Caixa” and Fundación Telefónica, the latter two being promoters of the ProFuturo program and organizers of this event.
During the first panel, representatives of leading educational organizations on the continent have addressed the structural challenges and educational opportunities of the continent. Max Boqwana, general director of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, from South Africa has emphasized the need for education that fosters critical thinking above differences, highlighting that “transformation begins with a citizenry empowered from school”.
Meanwhile, Egidia Umutesi, Education expert at World Vision, from Rwanda, after thanking the support provided by ProFuturo, has asked governments “to put more emphasis on education” because, despite the advances, “there is still a large population out of school”, insisting with the statement: “the real challenge is to transform education”.
In the same panel, Fr. Atta Barkindo, executive director of The Kukah Centre and president of the National Peace Committee Secretariat from Nigeria, has intervened, insisting on the need for historical dissemination and its teaching to strengthen identity and social cohesion; and on the role of women as agents of peace and change.
“I believe there are educational opportunities for everyone: women, girls and men. But the problem for women and girls is that there are cultural and religious factors that prevent them from accessing and taking advantage of those opportunities”, he concluded.
Event Africa ProFuturo
Subsequently, representatives of Fundación “la Caixa”, ProFuturo, and the organization Matunda, which works actively to improve educational accessibility for children with disabilities, have expressed the importance of active listening to local agents to achieve a deep and relevant impact. Sharing the panel, Francis Bizoza, founder of El Maestro Viajero Africano has highlighted that “in Africa we have a learning and quality teaching gap, where between 8 and 9% of ten-year-old children cannot read or understand a simple story”.
Following them, the dialogue has given way to a conversation about public-private partnerships with representatives of Fundación “la Caixa”, ProFuturo and UNHCR. An essential aspect that all of them have highlighted is the role of global partnerships. From Fundación “la Caixa” to UNHCR, they agree on the importance of cooperation with local and international actors to guarantee the sustainability and real impact of projects.
These partnerships share common values: commitment to equity, mutual trust, respect for diversity, responsibility and transparency. They are links that allow combining capabilities and generating joint solutions to complex challenges such as poverty, exclusion or climate change. Through them, more just and resilient educational environments are built, even in the most vulnerable contexts, such as refugee camps, all ideas that they have defended in unison.
In addition to the attributes of dialogue and flexibility, all of them have agreed that to work with trust it is necessary to work with transparency, but a long-term commitment is also necessary to achieve a real impact, and the diversity of complementary actors as an indispensable element.
After the debates, the main conclusions of the event have revolved around two axes
On one hand, that of the representatives of African educational institutions who have demanded an inclusive, critical education adapted to the cultural diversity of the continent.
And, on the other hand, the cooperation sector has highlighted the power of global alliances as a key driver for sustainable, equitable education with real impact on the most vulnerable communities.
About ProFuturo
ProFuturo, the Spanish educational engine in Africa
ProFuturo, the educational innovation program with technology promoted by Fundación Telefónica and Fundación “la Caixa” is currently the largest Spanish educational project in Africa.
Its objective is to bring inclusive and quality education to vulnerable communities not only on the African continent but also in Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. In 2024 alone in Africa, more than 13,900 teachers have been trained and the education of 349,000 students in 1,200 schools across 16 countries has been impacted. Its triangular approach -teachers, schools and students- guarantees a comprehensive transformation based on teacher training, digital inclusion and respect for the local context.