Ghana will teach coding, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality from the earliest school years and extend a tablet scheme to younger pupils, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has announced in Accra.

Opening the 19th eLearning Africa conference, Iddrisu said the move would prepare students for the digital economy. Ghana has already given tablets to senior high school students and teachers, and plans to reach kindergarten and junior high pupils next.

He urged African countries to take ownership of their digital transformation, investing in infrastructure, software and skills so technology serves the continent’s own needs rather than imported models. The conference ran under the theme of learning for sovereignty, strength and solidarity.

Accra Institute of Technology President Clement Dzidonu called for a deeper overhaul of African education, urging a shift from widening access to improving learning quality. He introduced the idea of a “sovereign learner,” someone who owns their learning, adapts to change and creates opportunities.

Dzidonu said Africa’s young population was a major opportunity only if education prioritised capability over certificates. Conference chairperson Aida Opoku-Mensah said the continent’s edtech sector had grown sharply since the first eLearning Africa in Addis Ababa in 2006, with more than 600 homegrown edtech startups now operating.

She urged governments to align policies, protect data sovereignty and support local research. The All Africa Students Union (AASU), which says it represents more than 300 million students, called for greater youth involvement, with its policy adviser Cindy Arko Nyamekye citing unemployment, unequal access and digital exclusion as pressing challenges.