The fifth eLearning Africa will be held in Lusaka later this month. The two -day largest Pan African conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Development, Education and Training that brings together ministers and education officials from nine African countries, is slated for May 26th – 28th.  Zambia’s president Rupiah Banda will officially open the event to be held under the patronage of the country’s Education Minister Dora Siliya.
The Round Table, entitled "Leading for change in ICTs in education", will see ministers and senior policy advisers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea and Zambia discuss how ICTs can foster capacity development in African education systems. African governments often face similar problems with the implementation of ICT and education programmes at a local level. Obstacles can include the bureaucratic structures of institutions, scarce resources and a lack of leadership strategies to harness the opportunities brought by ICT.

The high-level Round Table will enhance inter-African Ministerial collaboration on national, sub-regional and continental programmes on ICT enhanced education. eLearning is seen as one of the most important development accelerators by the majority of African administrations. National ICT strategies therefore, focus on issues such as access to ICTs, equipping institutions with the most appropriate software and hardware, as well as curricula development, fostering digital literacy and the provision of initial teacher training.

The politicians, who will be joined by representatives from major development agencies, will discuss how the private sector and development partners can support national educational reform programmes, with a focus on the take-up of relevant education technologies in Africa. The deliverables from the Round Table will include policy briefs and insights as well as a comprehensive communiqué.
Hosts of the Round Table are the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI), the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and International Conferences, Workshops and Exhibitions GmbH (ICWE). Microsoft is the event's sponsor.
Expected discussions include eWaste management, eInclusion, eHealth and Green IT. Others include the debate on the millions of mobile phones in private hands that may be regarded as the best gateway to learning for school children, students, apprentices and technicians of the new Africa. Following last year’s discussion on eLearning in post- conflict situations held in Senegal, the role of ICT in building a peaceful and stable society will also be discussed. It will be accompanied by an exhibition and demonstration area where leading international eLearning manufacturers, suppliers and service providers present their latest products and services.With a multitude of best-practice examples on display, eLearning Africa presents how and where technology-enhanced learning can boost the continent’s economies and development. International experts are expected to provide participants with solutions on how online education and training can be implemented in corporations and organisations successfully and cost effectively.  Education providers, corporations, decision makers from governments and educational institutions, as well as non-governmental and development organisations from Africa and the rest of the world will convene at the annual event.

For the last five years eLearning Africa has spread technology-enhanced learning and training throughout the continent and demonstrated best practice examples of eLearning and technology-enhanced learning. There will be special events on "speed networking" and the "Insaka" sessions which are named after the Bemba word for a meeting place and delegates exchanging knowledge and new ideas. International organizations including the African Virtual University, the World Bank Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will join grassroots non-governmental organizations to enrich the conference programme with presentations about the work of battling illiteracy in Southern Africa, promoting gender equality in Mali and encouraging participatory communication in East African refugee camps.

eLearning Africa is the largest pan-African conference on ICTs for education and training. It is a key networking event for education professionals, investors and providers of education and training in Africa. More than 1500 delegates from around the world are expected at this year's eLearning Africa. The Conference is held in English and French..