Recently, USIU-Africa took part in the 18th edition of the eLearning Africa Conference held on May 8–9, 2025, in Dar es Salaam. The university was represented by Clifford Olemo, who delivered a presentation on “Strategic and Policy-Driven Digital Transformation in Higher Education”, and Dr. Bernadette Kiarie, who presented an experience sharing session on “Instructional Design Excellence: Lessons from Building Online Courses.”

Clifford’s presentation focused on the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program e-Learning initiative, currently being implemented across ten partner universities, including USIU-Africa. The initiative supports institutions in enhancing access to quality, inclusive digital learning, aligning with the Foundation’s mission of preparing young Africans for dignified and fulfilling work.

Drawing from research conducted in 2022 and 2024, his presentation highlighted how universities have progressed in developing and implementing e-learning policies since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, only two of the institutions had formal policies in place. By 2024, all ten had either developed or were implementing comprehensive e-learning frameworks covering staff training, digital infrastructure, online assessments, and governance.

He noted that institutions have adopted Learning Management Systems such as Moodle and Blackboard, established e-learning centers, and digitized course content. However, challenges remain. These include limited faculty awareness of new policies, accessibility gaps for students with disabilities, poor coordination between national and institutional strategies, and ongoing resource constraints.

“To make e-learning truly effective and inclusive, we need coordinated national policies, stronger digital infrastructure, and sustained investment in faculty capacity-building,” he said during his presentation.

He issued several recommendations for policymakers, including the creation of national e-learning frameworks, support for digital equity through infrastructure funding and subsidies, and regular policy reviews to keep pace with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

On May 8, Dr. Bernadette Kiarie conducted an experience sharing session titled “Instructional Design Excellence: Lessons from Building Online Courses.” The session focused on best practices in designing and delivering high-quality online courses, faculty training and quality assurance of online courses. Dr. Kiarie shared lessons from USIU-Africa’s experience in developing asynchronous courses that meet the needs of a diverse student body.

Held under the theme “Re-imagining Education and Human Capital Development for Africa’s Future Prosperity,” the 2025 eLearning Africa Conference brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including ministers, vice chancellors, educators, policymakers, tech industry leaders, and innovators to explore how education systems can adapt to the continent’s fast-evolving digital and economic landscape.

Key conference topics included artificial intelligence in education, digital literacy, climate change education, green skills, and public-private partnerships in EdTech. The event remains Africa’s largest platform for sharing innovative ideas and practical solutions in digital education.