The African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) Sixth Triennial General Conference, has been scheduled for 28th - 29th September.

A statement issued by ACDE, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the virtual Conference on the theme, "Open and Distance Learning amidst COVID-19: the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)," would be addressed by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, under whose leadership the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), among the largest in Africa, was established.

It said in view of former President Obasanjo's outstanding contribution to the development of Open and Distance Learning, he would be presented with the Strategic African Leaders Award at the Conference.

It said as had always been the case, "the ACDE brings together scholars, academics, educationists and major stakeholders in the education fraternity to promote collaboration, research, and quality assurance in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) including e-Learning to increase access to quality education and training in Africa."

It noted that the Conference would bring together Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Presidents and other leaders of higher educational institutions, policymakers, scholars, students, education professionals, development agencies educational technology investors, and private sector committed to sustaining open and distance learning on the continent and in the diaspora to review and share experiences on the progresses made towards the fulfillment of the goals of Continental Education Strategy for Africa and SDG4.

The statement said the University of South Africa would also be awarded the Outstanding Institution Award for its pioneering role in open distance learning in Africa.

The ACDE is a continental educational organization comprising African universities and other higher education institutions, which are committed to expanding access to quality education and training through Open and Distance Learning (ODL), including e-Learning.

It is a unifying body of distance education providers and practitioners in Africa, ACDE and was formally launched in January 2004 at Egerton University, Kenya.

In August 2005, ACDE held its Inaugural Conference and General Assembly at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria, during which it was resolved to establish a permanent Secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya.

The mandate of the ACDE, as a unifying body of ODL providers in Africa, is primarily to promote research, policy and quality in open and distance learning to increase access to education and training in Africa.