How the Indaba works.
Three days to diagnose, design and deploy the skills Africa needs for a green and digital economy.
The Africa Future Skills Indaba 2027 (AFSI 2027) is convened by the African Preservice Education Association (APEA), which is owned by the Inxeba Education Trust, under the theme "Rethinking Skills for a Green & Digital Continent". It runs from Monday 22 to Wednesday 24 March 2027 at The Canvas Riversands, Johannesburg, after the Schools Policy Simulation on Friday 19 March and Day Zero (the Pan-African Student Assembly and Youth Pre-Conference) on Sunday 21 March.
The three days follow one arc. Day One diagnoses the gap between what education systems teach and what a green and digital economy needs. Day Two designs frameworks and secures named commitments. Day Three tests those commitments, seals the Africa Future Skills Investment Compact and founds the Africa Future Skills Network, which carries the work forward through seven Working Groups and a Youth Council.
Diagnose. Design. Deploy.
Diagnosis
Young people speak first; an Evidence Hearing; the first public findings of the Continental Curriculum Audit; five Value Chain Forums; the Executive Gala Dinner.
Day Two, Tuesday 23 MarchDesign
Three working groups design frameworks; the two Global Chambers meet; twelve Pathfinders ventures pitch; institutions make named public commitments.
Day Three, Wednesday 24 MarchDeployment
Commitments are tested; the Global Leaders' Summit goes live; the Africa Future Skills Network is founded; the Public Session and the Pathfinders Awards.
Booking your sessions in Inkundla Connect
- Sign in to Inkundla Connect with your ticket number or personal code, star the sessions you want and add them to your calendar.
- On Day One, book one Value Chain Forum for the whole day (11:30 to 15:25). On Days Two and Three, book one Design Charrette working group, which you stay in for both days.
- Youth & Student tickets give access to the Auditorium sessions on Day One and to the working groups on Days Two and Three.
- Your ticket QR code is scanned at the door of each room, so only booked delegates can enter breakout sessions.
- Use the app to vote in live polls, ask questions, request meetings and vote for the Pathfinders (until 20:00 on Day Two).
Key to session access
| Open to all delegates | Any delegate may attend; no booking needed. |
| Booking required in the app | Book your Forum or working group in advance; room numbers are limited. |
| By invitation, closed | For invited ministers, investors and partners. Held under the Chatham House Rule: what is said may be used, but no speaker is identified. |
| Live-streamed | Broadcast publicly. Speakers have agreed to speak on the record. |
Young people speak, present and report on every day.
Young people speak, present and report on every day of the Indaba. Learners and student leaders open the Indaba before any institution speaks; every Value Chain Forum opens with a film by a young African filmmaker; Youth Policy Prize winners present their policy briefs; Youth Rapporteurs document every room; and the Youth Rapporteur delivers the Youth Rapporteur Report at the Public Session. The call for the Network's Youth Council launches on Day Three.
Good to know
- Lunch is served in the Atrium beside the Exhibition Hall. The AFSI Innovations Demo Theatre runs short showcases in every break.
- Sessions outside the Auditorium end five minutes early to give you time to move between rooms.
- SASL interpretation and captions are provided for live-streamed sessions. Tell us about access needs in the app or at registration.
- Each day starts with a short safety and housekeeping briefing, repeated before delegates split into breakout rooms. Volunteers wear colour-coded T-shirts so you know whom to ask for which kind of help.
- Announcements come through the app (and by email if you are not signed in). Please complete the short feedback form in the app at the end of each session.
- Institutions can log commitments in the app at any time during the three days. Volunteers at the commitment inquiry table can help.
- Need a visa? You can request an attendance letter through the ticket form. Visa costs are the delegate's own.
- Partner hotel rates near the venue are being arranged. The booking code will be shared on the website and in the app.