Africa Regional Literacy Forum

INNOVATION AND PROFESSIONALIZATION IN LITERACY AND NFE:

New Directions for the Year 2000

Dakar, Senegal 20 March 1998

Final Statement

The Africa Regional Literacy Forum focused on new directions for professionalization and innovation for the new millennium. In particular, the Forum emphasized the need to examine specific contexts for the improvement of literacy and non-formal education in Africa.

Key issues raised at the Forum that are critical for making greater progress in literacy in Africa, include (a) mother-tongue instruction with multilingual concerns; (b) sensitivity to the special needs of women; (c) improved connections between formal and non-formal education; (d) the preservation of traditional cultures while at the same time creating new linkages with the global community; (e) the need for increased participation of African institutions in research and training in Africa; (f) greater voice and sensitivity to learner's needs and interests; and (g) taking advantage of new technologies for teaching and learning. Participants benefited not only from the numerous opportunities to discuss and debate these issues, but also from the working relationships forged at the Forum.

We are committed to continuing this important work, and will endeavor to use our will and our resources to maintain and increase momentum for a more literate Africa.