UNESCO Partners with KIX Africa 21 Hub to Embed AI Skills and Digital Literacy in Classrooms

As part of its efforts to prepare education systems for the digital transformation, UNESCO,  in partnership with the KIX Africa 21 Hub , is supporting countries in francophone Africa to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies into their classrooms, starting with four pilot countries: Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

The work focuses on two pillars:

• developing national AI competency frameworks for teachers and students, and
• translating digital learning resources into national languages to foster foundational literacy and inclusion.

This effort responds to the rapid proliferation of AI, ensuring it serves to enhance, rather than exacerbate, educational equity.

“UNESCO’s mandate is clear: to ensure that the technological revolution serves humanity and the planet, protects human rights and combats inequalities.”

– Ms Shafika Isaacs, Chief of the Section for Technology and AI in Education, UNESCO

A strategic compass for the AI era

The core of this initiative is to support the development of national AI competency frameworks. These frameworks are not merely technical documents but serve as a strategic compass for educational transformation.

“A competency framework clarifies expectations, guides teacher training, harmonizes practices and, most importantly, places humans at the heart of the digital transition by equipping teachers to be actors, not spectators, of these transformations.”

– Dr Maïmouna Sissoko Touré, Coordinator, KIX Africa 21 Hub

Côte d’Ivoire is among the first countries in the region to initiate this work. A first workshop was held in the country from 15 to 17 September, gathering more than 40 participants, including representatives from Côte d’Ivoire and a delegation from Benin. The work builds on the country’s existing ICT competency framework for teachers, initially developed with UNESCO’s support through the ICT Transforming Education in Africa (KFIT) project, to expand it into a broader framework that also integrates AI. The new framework will encompass not only teachers and administrators but also learners, with a focus on digital literacy, critical thinking, civic competencies and the ethical and pedagogical uses of AI.

This work continues Côte d’Ivoire’s significant progress in digitalizing its education system, including a National Digital Education Policy (2024-2030) and the National Strategy for the Digitalization of Education (2024-2028). Together, these efforts are helping to create a coherent vision for integrating emerging technologies into education systems in ways that are inclusive and equitable.

Advancing learning in local languages

A parallel and equally vital component is the translation of digital learning resources into national languages. Efforts are drawing on the Global Digital Library and UNESCO’s Translate a Story initiative, in partnership with Norad and Sopra Steria. Concrete activities are already underway. In Côte d’Ivoire, educators and linguists have already identified priority languages, established a shared methodology and begun translating storybooks and other digital resources, leveraging digital tools to ensure that children in linguistically diverse communities have access to culturally relevant learning materials.

“Access to knowledge also depends on language. Translation and adaptation of resources are essential to guarantee that every teacher, regardless of linguistic or cultural context, can benefit from these new tools.”

– Dr Maïmouna Sissoko Touré, Coordinator, KIX Africa 21 Hub

In Benin, the Ministry of Early Childhood and Primary Education has committed to developing a national AI and digital competency framework aligned with its National Strategy for AI and Big Data, demonstrating a powerful regional momentum.

Work in the four pilot countries involves national technical teams defining core competencies across domains like technological mastery, innovative pedagogy, digital citizenship and ethical understanding.

Shaping an inclusive educational future

These country-led processes are supported by UNESCO and the KIX Africa 21 Hub as part of UNESCO’s Priority Africa programme and its global work on harnessing emerging technologies for sustainable development.

“Teachers cannot be replaced by technologies. AI must be designed with and by teachers and should serve to strengthen the teacher-student relationship. This is also the recommendation of the Santiago Consensus adopted at the World Teachers Summit. Our goal is to cultivate the capabilities of teachers to co-create with AI and to use AI critically, ethically and confidently.”

– Ms Shafika Isaacs, Chief of the Section for Technology and AI in Education, UNESCO

By co-developing frameworks and resources that reflect local realities, Côte d’Ivoire and its partner countries are positioning themselves as pioneers in integrating AI and digital technologies into education across francophone Africa. They are shaping a future designed not in corporate labs but in classrooms and communities across the continent.

UNESCO will continue to work with countries to ensure that technology and AI in education expand opportunities for all and leave no one behind.