Millions of young Africans, who collectively are the continent's richest resource, must be empowered quickly to maximise the potential of digital technology in education and employment. However, connectivity, an essential element in the virtual world, is still a major issue in Africa.

Moodle, a very popular open-source course-management system, is a game-changing innovation that responds to these needs. A MoodleMoot is a conference dedicated to Moodle users, developers and administrators. Many of the over 150 MILLION USERS of Moodle around the world are now in Africa.

_"Technically, Moodle offers us exactly what we need,"_ says Dr Bruno Tran, the CIVA Vocational Training Expert from AfricaRice in Benin, which is part of the 'One World, No Hunger' initiative - funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. "For us, it means we can reach a larger audience despite the limitations of internet connectivity in rural parts of the country.

MoodleMoot Africa 2019 will convene with a focus on encouraging collaboration and promotion of Moodle best practice. At the workshop, participants will engage in a full day of learning, practical dialogue, and sharing of ideas with Moodle experts and practitioners, including Moodle's CEO and Founder Martin Dougiamas. He sees many benefits in these gatherings: "MoodleMoots are the place to recharge your practice: discover the state of the art in online learning, meet peers using Moodle in other institutions, and share your discoveries in an open, inclusive environment".

The highly interactive workshop will also provide Moodle users with a unique opportunity to share their personal Moodle stories with other enthusiastic members of this large global community.

About Moodle

Moodle is the world's most used open-source learning platform. With a huge community of educators and researchers, Moodle's goal is to improve the quality and efficiency of education globally. With over 100,000 registered sites and more than 160 million users worldwide, Moodle's innovative software and services support the education and training needs of many organisations around the world. It powers institutions like the United Nations and the UK Government; companies like Google, Shell, and primary, secondary, and tertiary schools worldwide.

In pursuit of their mission of "empowering educators to improve our world", Moodle's software gives educators and learners powerful, flexible tools for online learning and open collaboration. Moodle's mission is supported by their network of over 90 certified Moodle Partners, who can provide technical support, customisation, hosting, and all Moodle-related services to help with organisations' eLearning projects.

CONFERENCE Background

The eLearning Africa conference will again bring together international education and technology specialists, government ministers, entrepreneurs, and investors to discuss opportunities for expanding Africa's growing education sector. It is a subject that lies at the heart of the African Union's plans for turning Africa into a "transformed continent" by 2063, and it will be discussed and debated during three days of intensive presentations, workshops, seminars, and ministerial meetings in the west African capital from 23 - 25 October. Major international organisations, such as UNESCO, ISESCO, BOAD, the European Commission, the Mastercard Foundation, ADEA, Worldwide Web Foundation, ACBF and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) feature prominently on the conference programme.

eLearning Africa, which is an annual pan-African conference dedicated to examining the potential for using new communications technology to spread educational opportunity, is now in its fourteenth year. Since the 2005 launch in Addis Ababa of the event, which visits a different African capital each year, technology-assisted learning has expanded massively and now plays a major role in the delivery of learning, training, and research and development in schools, colleges, universities, companies, and organisations across Africa. It has enabled millions of Africans to expand their horizons and take advantage of the countless possibilities new technology offers to learn and acquire new skills and qualifications.

For more information about both the eLearning Africa conference and exhibition or the associated eLearning Africa Ministerial Round Table, which will be attended by Education and ICT Ministers, please contact Rebecca Stromeyer.

eLearning Africa is the key networking event for ICT-supported education, training, and skills development in Africa and brings together high-level policy makers, decision makers, and practitioners from education, business, and government. During its thirteen consecutive editions, eLearning Africa has hosted 17,278 participants from 100+ countries around the world, with over 85% coming from the African continent. More than 3,300 speakers have addressed the conference about every aspect of technology-enhanced education and skills development. Serving as a pan-African platform, the eLearning Africa conference is a must for those who want to develop multinational and cross-industry contacts and partnerships, as well as enhance their knowledge, expertise, and abilities. The conference and its associated exhibition, featuring the latest products, courses, and solutions from around the world, represent "an outstanding networking opportunity and the best vantage point anywhere in Africa to gain a view of the continent's edTech market," according to the organisers.