From 2 to 7 May 2023, an expert meeting was held in Dakar, Senegal, as part of the preparatory phase for the implementation of the pilot initiative supporting the African Union (AU)  Strategy for the inclusion and mainstreaming of the ACDEG into school curricula across member states. The meeting represented an important step in the operationalisation of the AU’s broader efforts to strengthen democratic culture, civic participation, and governance education through formal learning systems.

The workshop brought together members of the Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science and Technology (STC-EST), representatives from the Directorate for Governance and Conflict Prevention, education specialists, curriculum development experts, and technical staff involved in the drafting and review of the pedagogical materials. Over the course of the meeting, participants worked collaboratively to review, refine, and finalise the remaining learners’ manuals and teachers’ guides covering different educational levels, from primary to secondary education.

Particular emphasis was placed on ensuring that the materials reflected the principles and values enshrined in ACDEG while remaining pedagogically adaptable to diverse national education contexts across the continent. Discussions focused on harmonising the content, improving methodological coherence, strengthening age-appropriate learning approaches, and integrating participatory teaching methods aimed at encouraging critical thinking, civic responsibility, and democratic engagement among learners.

The meeting also provided a platform for technical exchanges on implementation modalities for the pilot phase, including teacher preparation, classroom usability, and the contextualisation of civic education tools within national curricula frameworks. By the conclusion of the workshop, participants had successfully completed and validated the outstanding teachers’ guides and learners’ manuals, thereby laying the groundwork for the pilot implementation phase and advancing the AU’s objective of promoting democratic values and good governance through education systems in Africa.