About
The Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa (RTIA) is a EUR 100 million EU-funded programme, with an additional EUR 4 million contribution from Belgium, designed to strengthen teacher education, professional development, and policy systems across sub-Saharan Africa. Led by Belgium, France, and Finland, with UNESCO and the African Union as key partners, the initiative forms part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, reinforcing long-term partnerships between Europe and Africa in the education sector.
The initiative is structured around three key areas:
- Technical Assistance: Providing demand-driven expertise to ministries of education to design, implement, and evaluate teacher policies aligned with national priorities.
- Scaling Innovative Solutions: Identifying, testing, and scaling teacher training approaches that improve teaching and learning, including in crisis-affected areas.
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- Digital Education: Enabel’s initiatives in Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda.
- Gender-Transformative Pedagogy: VVOB’s work in Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana.
- Foundational Learning: APEFE’s work in Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Benin.
- Teach 2 Empower: A complementary Belgian-funded initiative to strengthen knowledge sharing and advocacy.
- Research and Evidence: Promoting regional collaboration and research on teacher governance, professional development, and education policy to drive sustainable change.
The challenge
Across sub-Saharan Africa, 15 million newly qualified teachers are needed by 2030. Many current educators lack formal qualifications, particularly in rural and crisis-affected areas, which limits learning outcomes. In addition, challenges such as weak governance, inefficient teacher deployment, and limited opportunities for career growth continue to affect the quality of education.
The Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa seeks to address these challenges by strengthening teacher systems, improving training quality, expanding digital access, and enhancing policy coordination to create a more resilient and effective education workforce.
How we contribute
EdTech Hub contributes research expertise and technical support to test and scale digital solutions that strengthen teacher professional development in Tanzania. Working closely with Enabel and national education partners, EdTech Hub is designing and testing tech-enhanced mechanisms to address the needs of Peer Facilitators, leading to improved quality of school-based Communities of Learning.
Through an iterative, evidence-driven process, EdTech Hub conducts user research to understand the needs of Peer Facilitators and teachers, designs and tests new learning management system (LMS) tools and content, and provides digital skills training to improve uptake and engagement.
To reach teachers in remote areas, the Hub is piloting offline access solutions using Raspberry Pis, expanding opportunities for professional learning even in low-connectivity contexts.
Alongside implementation, EdTech Hub is tracking data and gathering evidence on how teachers interact with digital learning platforms to inform future scaling. The Hub also contributes to knowledge sharing and dissemination through learning visits, regional events, and academic publications, helping build the global evidence base for technology-enabled teacher professional development.
Timeline of activities
2025
Launch, plan, and initial research
- Conduct user research and prototype testing.
- Attend first innovation bootcamp (April 2025).
- Present at the Educators Shaping Futures Conference in Addis Ababa (November 2025).
- Participate in a learning visit with World Vision in Zambia to share lessons on offline teacher professional continuous development (TCPD) access (November 2025).
2026
Implement, test, and adapt
- Conduct baseline data collection
- Attend a second innovation bootcamp (February 2026).
- Scale refined LMS tools and offline solutions.
- Continue data collection and monitoring across target schools.
2027
Synthesise and share learnings
- Publish final outputs and journal articles.
- Disseminate findings through regional learning events and policy briefs.
In the field
EdTech Hub, the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), and the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG) met with Teacher Resource Centre (TRC) management at the Musoma TRC in the Mara Region.
The team conducted user research to explore how the Learning Management System (LMS) is being used and to assess the level of support provided to Peer Facilitators through the TRC.
EdTech Hub’s Maryam Aboud presents background research on the impact of technology on Teacher Professional Development in Tanzania at the Validation Workshop in Dar es Salaam.
