image5On 8 December 2016, the Regional Coordination Group on SDG4-Education 2030 in West and Central Africa (RCG4-WCA) gathered to finish the year with a retreat, to discuss the last 7 months of joint reflections and activities towards achieving the SDG4-2030 Education agenda and making plans for a successful year ahead.

In attendance at the meeting were regional representatives of United Nations agencies, multilateral organizations and civil society: Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), African Network Campaign on Education for All (ANCEFA), Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l'enseignement supérieur (CAMES), Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Conférence des ministres de l’Education des Etats et gouvernements de la francophonie (CONFEMEN), Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA), Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Handicap International, IIEP-Pôle de Dakar, Réseau pour l’excellence de l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique de l’Ouest (REESAO), Save the Children, International Labour Organization (ILO), Plan International WARO, UNESCO-Dakar, UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), UNHCR, and UNICEF. These organizations, active in supporting education development in West and Central African countries, met to establish the remaining Task Teams and further develop the collaborative Educ’Africa web platform, as well as finalizing the work plan for 2016-2017.

The members of the group began by sharing updates on their wide range of SDG4 related activities since the third RCG4 meeting on 15 September 2016. One major step forward was the creation of the Educ’Africa web portal: an online platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences which was presented during the retreat. The site is still being developed with inputs from all members, in order that it reflects the inclusive nature of the group and serves theirs as well as countries’ needs.

Among the adopted list of seven task teams, addressing targets and commitments of the Sustainable Development Goal on education (SDG4), three are already active: Education systems strengthening, TALENT (Teaching and Learning: Educator’s Network for Transformation) and Gender Equality and Inclusive Education.

With the adoption of the group’s work plan and confirmation of lead agencies for the task teams on Early Childhood Education (UNICEF) and Higher Education (CAMES), RCG4’s work can power ahead in 2017.

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