By Emmanuel Bamfo 
Ghana is set to host West Africa’s 2nd High-Level Conference on Scaling Education Initiatives in Emergencies (EiE), dubbed ACCELERATE+, in Accra from September 29 to 30, 2026. The crucial regional summit gathers policymakers, researchers, development partners, and financial institutions to solve growing disruptions in schooling.
Across the West African sub-region, persistent shocks from flood disasters, climate crises, and regional conflicts continue to lock millions of children out of classrooms. The summit aims to move beyond small pilot projects into long-term policy solutions that keep children learning even during severe crises.
Organized by research think tank Associates for Change (AFC) alongside Nigerian and regional partners, the ACCELERATE+ conference tackles the urgent practical realities facing schools. Disasters like tidal waves along coastal belts and seasonal flooding frequently submerge schools and destroy vital learning materials.
Displaced families often turn remaining classrooms into temporary shelters, halting teaching and learning for months. When emergency contingency funds run out, vulnerable children and young girls suffer the worst educational setbacks.
Education stakeholders emphasize that while many local innovations succeed on a small scale, expanding them across entire national school networks remains difficult. The conference focuses on five key themes, including foundational e-learning, digital inclusion, teacher psychosocial support, and sustainable domestic financing mechanisms.
Experts and delegates from Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Europe, and Canada will examine which proven models are ready for national rollout. Establishing sustainable funding channels ensures ministries do not rely solely on slow-moving emergency aid.
Ghana continues to champion practical interventions, including expanding Complementary Accelerated Education programs for out-of-school children. Hosting this regional summit highlights Ghana’s role in building resilient national systems capable of withstanding unexpected socio-economic shocks.
By institutionalizing evidence-based solutions, West African governments aim to guarantee every child’s right to continuous, safe, and quality education. Education during crisis is not a luxury, but a basic human right that secures Africa’s collective future.
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Source: Ghana News Page