The event will be held under the patronage of the Minister of Technology, Communication, and Innovation, Hon. Mr Yogida Sawmynaden, and the Minister of Education, Human Resources, Tertiary Education, and Scientific Research, Hon. Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun. It will take place in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, 27-29 September.

eLearning Africa, co-organised this year by ICWE GmbH, the German company that created the event, and the Mauritian Government, has played a major role in promoting technology- assisted learning in Africa. Rebecca Stromeyer, CEO of ICWE, said, "This year will mark the twelfth anniversary of eLearning Africa. The conference has been remarkably successful. It doesn’t just bring people from all over Africa together to discuss, share experience, and learn. It also brings experts, entrepreneurs, and investors in education from all over the world to Africa. In doing so, it has helped create a host of new partnerships, brought about some major investment deals, and informed political decision-making in all sorts of ways.

"I am delighted that this year’s event will take place in Mauritius. The Government of Mauritius is committed to using technology to open up a range of new opportunities in education. It is investing heavily in technology-assisted learning and training. Mauritius is a wealthy and stable country with highly developed tourism and financial sectors. The Government is keen to encourage innovation and promote tech start-ups, so it’s an exciting time to be coming to this beautiful African island. I’m sure that everyone who attends eLearning Africa 2017 will really profit from the experience."

Ms Stromeyer added that the theme of this year’s conference – "Learning in Context" – is a very important one for African educators.
           
Too often in the past, people from outside have ignored the local context in Africa. But anyone who understands Africa knows how important context is. There are around 3,000 languages spoken across the Continent, and there is a vast amount of traditional knowledge, which needs to be preserved. Technology offers the opportunity to overcome obstacles and to make the most of diversity. Africa is going to be one of the most successful and prosperous places on the planet, so all of us – Africans and non-Africans - need to understand context and how it shapes education.

We need to ask how we can localise content to maximise opportunity and how we can apply or adapt technology to meet local conditions and needs.

In recent years, eLearning Africa has been attended by over 1,500 participants from more than 80 countries. It is accompanied by a ministerial round table, which is attended by Ministers of Education, Science, Technology, Information, and Communications from all over Africa and invited specialists and guests from around the world.