BY THEMBA ZWANE
EZULWINI – Zimbabwe has raised its hand to host the next edition of the Pan-African Conference on Teacher Education (PACTED), with Education Minister Torerai Moyo announcing that Harare is ready to welcome delegates in February 2027.
Moyo made the announcement during the closing session of PACTED 2026 in Eswatini, saying Zimbabwe was prepared to take responsibility for the next edition and provide the necessary support to participating delegates.
“I, as the Honourable Minister of Education representing the Government of Zimbabwe, am ready to host you for the next edition in Harare that will be in February 2027,” said Moyo.
He said Zimbabwe was ready to provide vehicles and accommodation for delegates attending the conference.
Moyo noted that PACTED had previously rotated among different African regions, including Southern, West, North and East Africa, and said Zimbabwe was now prepared to host the next edition.
The minister’s announcement came as PACTED 2026 concluded with calls for African countries to translate discussions on teacher education into concrete action.
Moyo said the conference should not end with speeches and the exchange of ideas, but should produce practical outcomes capable of improving the teaching profession across the continent.
“As government representatives and development partners, this conference was a call to action. It was not about rhetoric or merely articulating ideas, but about doing the work and providing safe spaces for our teachers,” he said.
He called on education ministers across Africa to demonstrate political will in improving teachers’ working conditions, saying teacher welfare should be treated as a priority if countries were serious about transforming their education systems.
“May I call upon my fellow honourable ministers that there must be political will in ensuring that the conditions of our teachers are improved,” said Moyo.
He also linked the PACTED discussions to the broader continental skills development agenda, revealing that Zimbabwe would host the African Union Commissioner for Education the following week as part of Africa Skills Week.
Delegates were expected to begin arriving from Sunday for the programme.
“We are already marketing the conference. It is important to invest in skills development,” Moyo said.
He said Africa Skills Week would provide an opportunity to identify gaps in skills development and explore ways of addressing them.
“When we discuss next week, you will discover that there are so many gaps which we need to close. Let’s build bridges so that we close those gaps that are necessary in skills development,” he said.
Moyo thanked delegates for their contributions to PACTED 2026 and their participation in the conference.
The 26th Session of PACTED brought together education ministers, government representatives, teachers, researchers, development partners and other stakeholders to deliberate on the future of the teaching profession.
Discussions focused on the professionalisation of teaching, teacher mobility, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, teacher well-being, professional standards and the strengthening of education systems across Africa.
Zimbabwe’s offer now places Harare in line to host the next edition of the continental teacher education conference in February 2027.
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