Addis Ababa: Officials from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have called for the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI)-related content in foundational and secondary school curricula to transform the education system in Africa.

The opening ceremony of the Ethiopia Digital Week 2025 and Huawei Education Summit was held on Tuesday, bringing together African technology and education experts in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

Speaking at the event, Rita Bissoonauth, director of the UNESCO Liaison Office to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), said the development of AI in Africa will help promote innovative and sustainable education ecosystems through promoting digital solutions.

"UNESCO calls for African governments and private sectors to partner and work together in integrating AI into formal curricula and investing in green, tech-driven educational models to meet the needs of the new green economy," Bissoonauth said.

Bissoonauth lauded Huawei's and other Chinese companies' commitment to expanding information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure in Africa. She highlighted Huawei's growing investment in its global ICT academy initiative, including partnering with more than 2,200 educational institutions and offering training to over 200,000 students each year in ICT, networking, and cloud technologies.

Abdoulaye Salifou, chief of education at the UNESCO Liaison Office to the AU and UNECA, emphasized the need to harness the opportunities presented by AI and equip the African workforce with digital technology to spur economic development across the continent.

"The AI must be well handled in an appropriate manner guided by clear principles, inclusive governance and people-oriented ways," Salifou said.

The central theme of this year's Huawei Education Summit aims to integrate AI education in Africa's schools curricula, from AI-generated lesson plans to AI-assisted teaching techniques and real-time adaptive learning platforms.

During the summit, Huawei unveiled its latest education-focused technology solutions, including a cloud and AI-powered education platform, which enables educational institutions to design intelligent digital learning environments.

It also unveiled Digital Smart Campus architecture, which offers an integrated model for managing academic, administrative, and research functions in real time, and Green Smart Campus technologies, such as modular data centers and solar-powered infrastructure that support environmentally responsible digital transformation in education.

MENAFN23042025000063011010ID1109464379