BY THEMBA ZWANE
EZULWINI – The African Union has awarded a combined E1.66 million to eight outstanding teachers from across the continent in recognition of their professional excellence, innovation and contribution to transforming the lives of learners and communities.
Each of the eight recipients of the African Union Continental Teachers’ Awards 2026 received E166 192, equivalent to approximately US$10 000, bringing the total value of the awards to E1 661 920.
The awards were announced as part of the Pan-African Conference on Teacher Education and Development (PACTED 2026), held in Ezulwini, Kingdom of Eswatini, and coinciding with the commemoration of World Teachers’ Day 2026.
The African Union Commission said the awards were intended to recognise teachers who demonstrate the transformative contribution educators make to learners, schools, communities and national education systems.
The recognition comes as African countries seek to strengthen the teaching profession amid growing demands for better learning outcomes, digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), teacher mobility, inclusion and professional development.
The conference recognised that transforming Africa’s education systems must be accompanied by a corresponding transformation in the status, recognition, professional development, working conditions and societal appreciation of teachers.
The eight awardees were recognised for demonstrating professional excellence, innovative and learner-centred pedagogy, leadership, mentorship, inclusive practice, commitment to continuous professional development and measurable impact on learners and communities.
The awards also shine a spotlight on teachers working in rural, remote and hard-to-reach areas, as well as those serving fragile, conflict-affected, displacement-affected and other underserved communities.
According to the PACTED 2026 outcome document, the commitment of such teachers demonstrates that professional excellence and transformative teaching must be recognised wherever it occurs.
Minister of Education and Training Owen ‘Handsome’ the acknowledged that teachers should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of education reforms, but as leaders and co-creators of those reforms.
He called for the experiences and innovations of outstanding teachers to be documented, shared and leveraged through continental teacher networks, the Africa Teachers Forum and Teachers’ Communities of Practice.
“These platforms could enable exemplary teaching practices to inspire professional learning and education transformation across African Union Member States,” said Nxumalo.
Member States were also encouraged to strengthen national mechanisms for identifying, recognising and celebrating outstanding teachers.
The recognition should, according to the minister, be linked to opportunities for professional leadership, peer learning, mentorship, innovation and knowledge exchange.
The awards formed part of a wider continental commitment to elevate the teaching profession as Africa seeks to develop the human capital required to achieve the aspirations of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
The conference reaffirmed that Africa’s transformation in learning, skills, innovation and human capital would ultimately depend on the quality, status, preparedness and motivation of its teachers.
It committed to building a teaching profession that is professional and respected, qualified and continuously developing, digitally empowered and AI-ready, mobile and continentally recognised, inclusive and gender responsive.
“The profession should also be healthy, motivated and resilient, innovative and evidence-driven, prepared for climate action and the future of work, while being adequately financed and sustainably supported.”
Nxumalo called on Member States and partners to translate these commitments into time-bound, measurable and adequately resourced actions, while strengthening accountability for implementation.
PACTED 2026 was therefore positioned as a transition from recognising the challenges facing teachers to accelerating the implementation of teacher transformation across the continent.
He emphasised the connection between teachers, learners and Africa’s broader development ambitions: investing in teachers is investing in learners, while investing in learners is investing in Africa’s human capital.
The awards provided a tangible demonstration of that investment, with the eight educators collectively receiving more than E1.6 million for their excellence and dedication to the teaching profession.
The African Union Continental Teachers’ Awards 2026 recipients are:
Charlin Romuald Tafita Zafy – Madagascar, East Africa
Esther Ntombifuthi Gumede – South Africa, Southern Africa
Abed-nego Layapula Nepolo – Namibia, Southern Africa
Linda Owusu Korkoh – Ghana, West Africa
Francis Taiwo Solanke – Nigeria, West Africa
Josiane Nnanga – Cameroon, Central Africa
Wissam Badri – Algeria, North Africa
Ariba Messaoud – Morocco, North Africa
#PACTED2026 #AfricanUnion #Teachers #WorldTeachersDay #Education #AfricanEducation #TeacherExcellence #TeacherDevelopment #HumanCapital #Agenda2063 #Eswatini #Africa
