Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Clement Apaak, has disclosed reforms introduced in Ghana’s education sector to boost teaching and learning programs across the country.
Innovation Africa 2025 of the African ministerial summit for education, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Skills kicked off on 28th April 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The opening ceremony was graced by Temesgen Tiruneh, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia. The three-day summit, themed “Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century,” has convened delegations including ministers and professionals from across the continent.
Speaking during a panel discussion on the theme “Ensuring the Professional Development of Quality Teachers to Deliver Curriculum Reform in Africa,” the deputy minister, who was making his submission in a panel discussion, brought up teacher licensing in Ghana as an important reform.
According to him, to ensure continuous learning and improvement by teachers, they must accumulate points through continuous professional development programmes as a basis for license renewals.
As part of reforms, he said, Colleges of Education currently offer Bachelor’s degree programs in Education as a means to promote reflective practice and inculcate digital pedagogy into teacher-trainee curricula.
The deputy minister, who was making his submission in a panel discussion, brought up the licensure exam and the National Training Council initiative, telling the audience that the examination through which one could obtain a license sought to “ensure continuous learning throughout a teacher’s career”.
During his speech, he also noted that the government had launched the Teacher Deployment and Retention Program, with the objective of encouraging educators to travel to remote areas to teach.
“Incentives and support systems are in place to encourage teachers to work in underserved areas, including allowances, accommodation, and targeted mentorship,” Dr. Apaak said.
On the issue of knowledge sharing across the African continent, the deputy minister said Ghana was supportive of several initiatives, including inter-country teacher exchange and Training programs and the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa’s (CESA) Teacher Development Cluster.
Innovation Africa summits focus on advancing education, technology, and skills development across the African continent.
Building upon the African Union’s declaration of 2024 as the “Year of Education,” the summit brought together government ministers, policymakers, and industry leaders to collaborate on initiatives that enhance educational outcomes and digital transformation in Africa.