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AIDE MEMOIRE
The Africa Council for Distance Education (ACDE) is a continental educational organization comprising African universities and other higher education institutions, which are committed to expanding access to quality education and training through Open and Distance Learning (ODL).The ACDE is registered under the laws of Kenya as an international educational non-profit organization, and has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.The ACDE was formally launched in January 2004 at Egerton University in Kenya.
The ACDE held its inaugural Conference and General Assembly in August, 2005, at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria. The occasion was attended by more than 250 delegates from Africa and beyond, including 10 government Ministers of Education and other high ranking policy makers, academics and ODL practitioners. It is at this inaugural Conference and General Assembly that the ACDE Constitution was adopted.
The second ACDE Conference and General Assembly was held from 8-11 July, 2008 in Lagos Nigeria, hosted by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Again, this very successful convention was attended by more than 350 participants consisting of top government officials and policy makers, Managers, vice-Chancellors, Professors, experts, and other stakeholders and ODL practitioners. The Conference Guest of Honour was His Excellency the President of the Federal republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Yardua, who was represented by the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr Igwe Aja-Nwachuku. During the Gereral Assembly in Lagos, Tanzania was selected to host the Third ACDE Conference and General Assembly to be held in July, 2011. The honour was bestowed to Tanzania due to the active participation of the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) in the activities and programmes of the ACDE. The Vice-Chancellor of OUT, Prof Tolly Mbwette is the current Vice-Chairman of ACDE, and the OUT hosts the ACDE Technical Committee on Collaboration.
The African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) is a Pan African organization whose objectives are:
- To promote open and distance learning, flexible and continuing education in Africa.
- To promote research and training in open and distance learning in Africa.
- To contribute to the development of policies essential to the advancement of open and distance learning.
- To foster continental and global collaboration in open and distance learning.
- To provide a forum where individuals, organization and governments can interact, deliberate on policy matters, share and disseminate ideas on and innovations in open and distance learning.
- To promote the development of appropriate methods, human capacities and technologies in education and training relevant to open and distance learning.
The ACDE has two major programmes. Apart from the Technical Committee on Collaboration which is hosted by OUT, the other one is the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency which is hosted by the National Open University of Nigeria.
In order to achieve the set goals and objectives, one of the strategies that ACDE has adopted entails planning, organizing and facilitating professional forums, through which the African Vice Chancellors, academics, distance education and open learning practitioners and other leaders of higher education institutions converge, interact and engage in collective thinking and responsibility about distance education policy and development in Africa.One key forum that ACDE has firmly institutionalized is the triennial ACDE Conference and General Assembly which brings a convergence of world leaders, experts and providers of ODL (including e-learning) in Africa to exchange, evaluate and disseminate innovations and research findings in ODL.
The Open University of Tanzania, has accepted the challenge to host the third Conference and general Assembly, planned to take place from 12-15 July, 2011, hoping for support from the Government, Private sector, and the general public. As this Conference addresses topical issues on ODL, the theme selected for the 2011 Conference is:
"BRIDGING THE DEVELOPMENT GAP IN AFRICA THROUGH OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING"
It is expected that between 250 and 350 participants from Africa and outside Africa will attend the Conference.
The ACDE Organizing Committee has identified Mlimani City Conference Centre as the venue for the opening ceremony. Thereafter the Conference will shift to Ubungo Plaza.