DASCA, EPeMR
Policy and Regulatory Alignment
Advice on integrating Just Energy Transition and green economy goals into national curricula, and drafting regulatory and legal frameworks for ethical AI in education and skills assessment.
African Preservice Education Association
Preparing Africa's professionals before they start.
We work across the whole pre-professional pipeline: schools, TVET colleges, universities, apprenticeships and the first years of work.
Our flagship convening
AFSI 2027: the African Future Skills Indaba.
22 to 24 March 2027 at The Canvas Riversands, Johannesburg, after the youth pre-conference on 19 and 21 March. Ministers, employers, educators, investors and young people decide together how Africa prepares people for green and digital work.
Early bird prices end 15 December 2026
1 200+participants across five days
37programme sessions
580delegate places
110+voices on stage
Why we exist
Imagine a continent where millions of young people are full of potential, but outdated education systems keep them from thriving. You don't have to imagine it: the African continent lives with it.
That is why the African Preservice Education Association exists: a think tank and action hub that equips governments, educators, employers and youth with the tools, training and policies to unlock Africa's next generation of talent.
Our seven-pillar approach brings together education technology, decolonised curricula and economic alignment, closing the gap between what is taught and what tomorrow's economy needs. APEA works for whole-system change, with African education as a driver of prosperity and resilience.
What we mean by preservice
The formal education and training people receive before they enter the workforce as full-time professionals, in any field.
LearnersStudentsApprenticesInternsGraduate traineesThe educators and employers who prepare them
Why now
The jobs are coming. The skills are not ready for them.
3M+
New green workers needed by 2030
Africa has about 344,000 direct green jobs today. Forecasts put the need at more than 3 million by 2030, across 12 sub-sectors.
40%
Need specialised or advanced skills
Up to 1.3 million of those roles call for specialised or advanced skills. That training happens before people start work, which is where APEA works.
70%
Sit in energy and power
Energy and power make up about 70% of forecast green jobs, led by solar at up to 1.7 million. Africa produces 3% of global emissions but needs over $100bn a year in green investment.
720k
In just five countries
The DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa hold up to 720,000 of the 2030 jobs. Governments have strategies such as AU Agenda 2063, but often lack the local capacity to turn them into funded programmes.
Source: Forecasting Green Jobs in Africa, BCG, FSD Africa and Shortlist (2024).
The seven pillars
One agenda, from the first lesson to the first job.
01TEdTech
Transformative Education Technology
To bridge the digital divide and turn infrastructure access into effective technology use in African educational institutions.
02CPSDCritical Pedagogical Skills Development
To address the widespread learning crisis and the foundational skills deficit rooted in colonial-era rote memorisation.
03EEESEducator Entrepreneurship & Economic Systems
To address high joblessness among skilled youth and create alternative career pathways for highly educated professionals in an AI-driven economy.
04DASCADecolonial & Systemic Curricula Advocacy
To challenge educational structures and curricula that are socially irrelevant and misaligned with African needs because of persistent colonial influence.
05STEMRAISTEMRAI Education Advancement
To address the 4IR and 5IR skills shortage and the gender and equity gaps in critical technology and science fields.
06ESSEnvironmental & Systems Stewardship
To build the human capital the Just Energy Transition and climate adaptation urgently need.
07EPeMREducation Policy for Macro-Economic Resilience
To close the policy and implementation gap: the failure to align educational investment with national economic output and goals such as the African Union's Agenda 2063.
Consultancy
Research, advice and design for whole-system change.
ESS
Green and Energy Sector Human Capital Strategy
National strategies for the JET human capital pipeline, and auditing and designing energy sector skills programmes for TVET and higher education institutions.
TEdTech, STEMRAI
Digital Transformation and Skilling
Institutional digital transformation roadmaps, technology skills mapping for companies, and commercialising university research IP for public benefit.
EEES, CPSD
Talent Pipeline Design and Placement
Customised youth skilling programmes, and internship matching for private sector partners looking for critically skilled talent.
The PSI anchor
Work that feeds straight into policy
As the operational arm of the Pedagogical Science Institute, APEA turns research into frameworks governments and institutions can adopt.
Integrated, not scattered
Seven pillars that work together
Technology linked with decolonised curricula, and economic development linked with climate action.
R.I.S.E. values
Resilience, Innovation, Service & Collaboration, Excellence
The standard we hold ourselves to with every partner, learner and government we work with.
The Africa Future Skills Network
A permanent home for the work, to be founded on 24 March 2027.
When its Charter is signed at AFSI 2027, seven working groups, a Council and a Youth Council will take the Indaba's commitments forward year-round. Until then it is being designed with founding partners.
7planned working groups
17planned Council seats
15planned Youth Council members
African Future Skills Indaba 2027Five programme days in Johannesburg. Commitments that outlast them.
19 to 24 March 2027 at The Canvas Riversands. Youth and schools programmes first, then three days of evidence, design and deployment with ministers, employers, investors and young people.
19Fri · Schools Policy Simulation
21Sun · Day Zero, youth
22Mon · Diagnosis
23Tue · Design
24Wed · Deployment