On Monday, 26 January, the ADEA Inter-Country Quality Node on Teaching and Learning (ICQN-TL), in partnership with the Rwanda Association of Women in Science (RAWISE), convened a continental webinar titled “Women Teachers’ Leadership and Innovation in Africa.” Held under the theme “Women Teachers as Catalysts of Africa’s Educational Transformation: Operationalizing Skills, Leadership, and Innovation under CESA 2026–2035,” the session amplified the critical role of women in teacher leadership as a practical pathway for advancing Africa’s education transformation agenda. Expert discussants highlighted strong linkages between women education leaders, classroom innovation, and the delivery of system-wide reforms under the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2026–2035 (CESA 2026–2035).

The webinar followed the 2025 ADEA Triennale and built on priorities captured in the Triennale outcome document, “Walking the Talk.” It reinforced a shared imperative: Africa’s education transformation will be accelerated through the deliberate inclusion and empowerment of women educators in the implementation of stronger teacher professional development, more inclusive and gender-balanced leadership pipelines, the responsible use of technology, and sustained domestic financing aligned with continental priorities.

In his opening remarks, ADEA Executive Secretary Albert Nsengiyumva underscored the value of women’s leadership and innovation in education and anchored the session in the Triennale’s call for Africa-led delivery. He noted that women constitute the majority of the teaching workforce—particularly in foundational learning—yet remain underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles. This gap, he emphasized, is not only an equity concern; it also constrains system performance, innovation, and learning outcomes.

“Investing in their professional growth is not a sectoral choice—it is a system-wide imperative,” he said, 

calling for deliberate policy actions that expand professional development, mentorship, and enabling environments so women teachers can serve as innovators, system leaders, and policy shapers.

Over the two-hour dialogue, speakers and participants advanced practical ideas aligned with key CESA priorities—teacher professionalism and leadership, innovation and technology (including artificial intelligence), foundational learning and skills, and gender equity and inclusion. Panelists bridged policy and practice through four complementary lenses:

• Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) as a new way of teaching and learning: Ms. Caroline Nyaga of Women in STEAM Initiative, Kenya emphasized STEAM as more than an added subject area. She framed it as an approach that builds creativity, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving, while positioning women teachers as visible role models who can help more girls see themselves in science and technology and strengthen learning for all students through applied pedagogy.
• Responsible AI in African classrooms: Ms. Aina Hamutenya from the Namibia Ministry of Education explored the potential of AI to enrich learning through adaptive platforms, interactive tools, and virtual labs, while stressing ethical safeguards. She cautioned against risks such as data privacy violations, cultural and gender bias embedded in tools, and widening digital divides, and called for strong teacher training and gender-responsive technologies that protect learners’ rights and wellbeing.
• Teacher Professional Development (TPD) for gender-responsive pedagogy: Building on evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa, Collings Olang from VVOB highlighted that effective TPD is continuous and blended, combines practice-based learning with coaching and peer support, and is reinforced by policy and school-level conditions. The discussion emphasized that successful models also address teacher attitudes, motivation, and wellbeing—recognizing that gender-responsive pedagogy cannot be sustained without supportive systems.
• Women’s underrepresentation in school leadership: Ms. Sandrine Ishimwe from the African Centre for School Leadership shared data demonstrating persistent underrepresentation of women in school leadership and decision-making. Drawing on school leadership mapping efforts in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Malawi, the ACSL perspective highlighted structural and cultural barriers—especially in rural contexts—that limit women’s progression into leadership roles. She advocated for a systemic shift from gender-neutral intent to gender-responsive policy design, including clear targets, mentorship, coaching, resourced leadership pathways, and measures that support retention and progression.

Across the dialogue, participants converged on a clear message: accelerating Africa’s education transformation will require empowering women teachers to lead innovation and system change by:

• Adopting STEAM approaches that build creativity, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving.
• Advancing responsible and inclusive AI that enhances learning while addressing privacy, bias, and digital exclusion.
• Scaling gender-responsive TPD that is continuous, policy-supported, and attentive to teacher wellbeing.
• Removing systemic barriers to women’s advancement into leadership through targeted measures—benchmarks, mentorship, coaching, structured leadership pathways, and dedicated resourcing—particularly in underserved and rural settings.

In his closing remarks, ADEA Programs Coordinator Kouame Aime reaffirmed the webinar as a practical response to the Triennale’s call to “walk the talk”—moving from high-level commitments to implementable reforms that strengthen the teaching profession under CESA 2026–2035. He urged stakeholders to:

• Institutionalize gender-disaggregated data on teachers and school leaders.
• Translate CESA Objective 6 into national policy with clear targets, implementation plans, and budgets.
• Allocate a portion of the 20% domestic financing benchmark specifically to accelerate women’s leadership pathways and gender-responsive teacher professional development.

“Women teachers are not just participants in Africa’s educational transformation; they are its primary catalysts,” he said.

He also outlined immediate next steps through the ICQN-TL platform, including synthesizing the webinar’s recommendations into a policy brief for CESA clusters and ministerial networks; integrating priorities into ADEA’s Foundational Learning Exchange (FLEX) and related initiatives; and strengthening the community of practice to sustain peer learning and implementation.

The webinar brought together policymakers, teacher leaders, development partners, researchers, and civil society actors to examine how women teachers can drive system change—through classroom innovation, policy influence, and stronger leadership across schools and education systems. The session underscored that Africa’s education transformation agenda under CESA 2026–2035 will accelerate when women teachers are recognized, supported, and resourced as leaders—not only in classrooms, but across the entire education system.