The African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) has scheduled 28^th and 29^th September 2021 for its 6^th Triennial General Conference. This year, the conference would be held virtually.

The conference is under the theme, “Open and Distance Learning amidst COVID-19: The Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)”.

This 2021 conference will bring together over 500 Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Presidents and other leaders of higher educational institutions, policymakers, development agencies, scholars, students, education professionals, educational technology investors, and private sector committed to sustaining open and distance learning on the continent and in the diaspora to review and share experiences on the progress made towards the fulfillment of the goals of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa and SDG4.

Most importantly the critical role of ODeL post-Covid-19, will be the center of discussion to refocus continental, national and institutional strategies to cope with the new normal.

The conference is expected to be addressed by Ghana’s Minister of Education, and His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under whose leadership the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), among the largest in Africa, was established. In view of his outstanding contribution to the development of Open and Distance Learning in Africa, he will be presented with the Africa Strategic Leadership in Education Award at the Conference. 

The University of South Africa will also be awarded the Outstanding Institution Award for its pioneering role in open distance learning in Africa.

The African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) is a continental educational organization comprising African universities and other higher education institutions, which are committed to expanding access to quality education and training through Open and Distance Learning (ODeL) including e-Learning.

It is the African Union's (AU) main implementing agency for ODEL.

As a unifying body of ODeL providers in Africa, its mandate is to promote research, policy and quality in open and distance learning to increase access to education and training in Africa.

ACDE was formally launched in January 2004 at Egerton University, Kenya. In August 2005 ACDE held its Inaugural Conference and General Assembly at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria, where it was resolved to establish a permanent Secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya.  Since then, five triennial conferences have been held.

In 2017, at its meeting in Sudan, Ghana, represented by Laweh Open University College, won the nomination to host the 6^th Triennial General Conference.