After three years of multistakeholder collaborative efforts to enhance robust digital education in Benin and Burkina Faso, the Africa Digital Campus pilot project ended with the announcement of project results at the closing conference in Cotonou. The conference was themed ‘Bridging the innovation gap: deploying distance learning and infrastructure in Africa’. Speaking on behalf of Benin’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Benjamin Hounkpatin, Benin’s Minister of Health, said that the projects’ results met the stakeholders’ expectations. “This ambitious project, which has mobilised a great deal of energy, expertise and passion, has not only met the initial expectations but has also opened the way to new perspectives. We have taken a decisive step towards transforming higher education and research by providing concrete digital solutions for a better future for our citizens. This end of the project marks a new beginning. From now on, we will launch the momentum needed to make the transition to scale a reality.” Samuel Paré, the Secretary General of the Minister for Digital and Digitisation for Burkina Faso, called on all stakeholders to maximise and build on the project’s results. “The results of the ADC project in terms of connectivity, educational resources, and training are encouraging. It is now essential to capitalise on these achievements”. The Board Chair and Interim CEO of WACREN, Dr. Eyouleki T.G. Palanga said WACREN was proud to have contributed to strengthening campus and national network infrastructure, equipping course instructors with our scalable video tools and platforms and fostering open access to knowledge. The ADC Project Manager Damien Alline said, “Despite the many political, economic, and technical challenges encountered, the project has benefited from the strength of its partnership to achieve its objectives and provide guarantees of sustainability recognised by government bodies.” The concrete achievements of ADC included the setting up of eduroam on two campuses – INSTI in Benin and UKJZ in Burkina Faso, the development of an innovative video kit using a 3D printer to record and broadcast lessons, a regional video platform as an alternative to YouTube and the creation of two active communities of practice for teachers. The ADC project also produced 277 online teaching courses validated to CAMES standards, 320 teaching videos, and more than 200 Open Educational Resources (OER) by the 134 teacher-researchers trained, with particular attention paid to the inclusion of women.
