The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, adopted by the African Union in 2007 and entered into force in 2012, represents one of the continent’s most important normative frameworks for the promotion of democracy, constitutional governance, human rights, and citizen participation. In line with the objectives of Agenda 2063 and the African Union’s broader governance architecture, increasing attention has been dedicated not only to electoral processes themselves, but also to long-term civic education initiatives aimed at strengthening democratic culture across African societies. Within this framework, the African Union launched a continental initiative to mainstream ACDEG principles into national education systems through the development of school curricula, pedagogical materials, and teacher training programmes designed to promote democratic values, civic responsibility, and good governance among younger generations

Through the Pro-Electoral Integrity project, ECES  is playing an important supporting role by providing technical, administrative, financial, and pedagogical assistance to the implementation of these activities, particularly. Through its support to the African Union and national stakeholders, ECES is contributing to strengthening civic and electoral education components, supporting dialogue among Member States, and advancing the long-term objective of embedding democratic governance and citizenship education within school curricula across Africa.

This initiative has been implemented through a series of continental, regional, national workshops, expert meetings, and technical consultations bringing together representatives of the African Union Commission,

Regional Economic Communities (RECs), education specialists, curriculum development institutions, Member States, and partner organisations. The process formally began with the convening of a validation workshop in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in August 2022, dedicated to the validation of the AU Strategy for the Inclusion of ACDEG in School Curricula. Since then, multiple activities have taken place across the continent, including expert meetings in Dakar, Senegal in May 2023, Nairobi, Kenya in July 2023, Maputo, Mozambique in December 2023, Accra, Ghana in February 2024, and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in June 2024, as well as pilot phase activities launched in Ivory Coast in 2024 and Guinea-Bissau in January 2025. Regional coordination meetings in Cotonou, Benin, in 2025.  These activities have progressively contributed to the development, harmonisation, and implementation of learners’ manuals, teachers’ guides, and national strategies aimed at integrating ACDEG principles into African education systems.