Established in 1993, The Association for the Development of Education in Africa’s Working Group on ECD (WGECD/ ADEA) has been operational as a network since 1997. Its aim is to influence policy around the development of the young child and thereby contribute to expanding and improving sustainable and appropriate ECD provision in Africa. Its overall objective is to work as a catalyst in the Sub-Saharan Africa region to promote a coherent and coordinated response to the challenges facing ECD in that part of the world.
Since 1997 several African countries have developed ECD policies and implemented a number of effective programmes with donor and international support. With the increasing realisation that cost-effective ECD interventions can reduce the long-term costs of not investing in ECD, there is a challenge to continue to work towards increasing access to quality ECD interventions, especially by the most vulnerable.
The WGECD/ADEA has developed, with its members and partners, a Regional Framework/Plan of Action for 2006-10. The Work Plan’s main strategies include:
• Advocacy at the political level, including heads of state, regional political bodies in the US, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
• A regional communication strategy
• Networking and partnership building
• Capacity building
• National policy support
In conjunction with this approach the 2008 Work Plan will be structured around the Consultative Group’s 4 Cornerstones to Secure a Strong Foundation for Young Children:
• Cornerstone 1--The Working Group’s Regional Framework, Strategy 4.1 includes support for parental education and functional adult literacy programmes, “ensuring ECD contents
• Cornerstone 2-- In relation to the Sub-Saharan Africa context, this cornerstone is translated in the Regional Framework’s Strategy 4.5 Report as “supporting scaling up for IECD programmes.”
• Cornerstone 3-- The Working Group’s Regional Framework will support capacity building at the national level. They will work with partners on initiatives such as the Early Childhood Virtual University (ECDVU.org), African Virtual University, and the UNESCO initiative of mapping universities (i.e., deliver ECD programmes by distance), as well as all African universities delivering ECD programmes.
• Cornerstone 4--The Regional Framework has developed 4 strategies in response to cornerstone 4. Future work from WGECD/ADEA will reinforce the assets and results of this joint collaboration at national and regional levels.
The Working Group has been coordinated by the Chair of the WGECD from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the lead agency for the WG since 1998. The Chair is currently located in Mozambique, assisted by a consultant based in Ghana. With the increasing responsibility of the Working Group as the lead catalyst for ECD in Africa, and with the expansion of ECD activities in the region in the last three years, it became necessary to engage a second consultant on a part-time basis. The team has constituted a “virtual Secretariat” since 2006. Central in 2008 is the proposed transfer from the current set-up of the Working Group to an All Africa network for ECD with the establishment of an administrative base in Africa in an agency that deals with ECD issues and can take on administrative responsibilities (including dealing with funds). The Steering Committee has chosen Save The Children USA in Nairobi for this role. To strengthen the WG Steering Committee and ensure linkages with the political agenda, it is also proposed that the next Chair will be UNESCO Breda, based in Dakar. This would ensure the political leverage of the Working Group, as well as coverage of both East/Southern and West/Central Africa and the two major languages, French and English.
The first National Focal Points meeting in summer 2008 will allow the WGECD/ADEA to continue in adapting the Consultative Group’s 4 Cornerstones to the Sub-Saharan Africa context, based on national and regional expertise. This coordination with a global network will ensure for success in moving forward.
For more information, contact:
Ms. Stella Etse
WGECD Coordinator
c/o UNICEF – United Nations
Children’s Fund
UNICEF House
4 – 8 Rangoon Close
P.O. Box AN 5051
Accra North, Ghana
E-mail: wgecdafrica@gmail.com
Website: http://www.ecdafrica.com/ OR http://www.adeanet.org/
