Quality Teacher Professional Development at Scale: Policy Considerations for the Next Decade in Africa <i>[White Paper]</i>

This White Paper looks to provide African governments with a series of calls to action and policy considerations, to build momentum on the progress already made in teacher professional development (TPD) across the continent over the last 25 years. They are designed to help African countries make further steps to “improve teacher policies, education, professional development, and accountability”, a key objective outlined in the African Union’s (2025) “Continental Education Strategy for Africa, 2026-2035”. This will ensure that teachers are equipped with relevant skills, vital for the future economic and social prosperity of both their own individual countries and the African continent.<br></br><br></br> The calls to action and policy considerations draw from research evidence from across the continent, a survey completed by 163 teacher education stakeholders (government officials, university academics and teacher educators, as well as teacher unions and international partners) spanning 36 countries, and the testimonies of teacher educators from 12 African countries.<br></br><br></br> <b>Overarching call to action:</b> Ministries of education and authorities regulating teaching should prioritize the updating and implementation of teacher education legislation, frameworks, policies and strategies, and institutionalize periodic monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to hold implementers accountable. This builds on one of the recommendations from the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers “Santiago Consensus” (2025) which focuses on implementation.