Webinar: AI in Africa's classrooms: Empowering education, or an overhyped distraction?

As artificial intelligence rapidly finds its way into classrooms, lecture halls and learning platforms around the world, educators and policymakers across Africa are grappling with a fundamental question: can AI help solve some of the continent's most pressing educational challenges, or is it being presented as a silver bullet for problems that require far more complex solutions?

To explore this debate, the North-West University (NWU) will host an online media webinar titled AI in Africa's classrooms: Empowering education, or an overhyped distraction? on Thursday, 25 June 2026.

Join the webinar here: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/399859005576552?p=hR9f1TOquMatqRTZdD

The discussion will examine the opportunities and limitations of AI in African education, including its potential to enhance teaching and learning, address skills shortages and expand access to quality education. It will also confront growing concerns about overreliance on technology, ethical considerations and persistent misconceptions, including the belief that AI will replace teachers.The webinar will feature Prof. Anné Verhoef, director of the NWU AI Hub and a leading voice on the societal, ethical and educational implications of artificial intelligence. The discussion will be moderated by Dr Edmund Ugar of Nigeria, whose internationally recognised research focuses on ethical machine learning, healthcare innovation and responsible AI development in the Global South.

Journalists from across Africa are invited to participate in what promises to be a timely and thought-provoking conversation about the future of education on the continent and the role artificial intelligence should, and should not, play in shaping it.