Access to quality higher education should never depend on where you live or how you work. That belief drives open and distance learning across Africa, and it is the reason Miva Open University is proud to support the 8th triennial conference of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE).
The conference takes place from 12 to 16 April 2027 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa. It will bring together scholars, students, practitioners, policymakers, instructional designers, industry partners, and education leaders from across the continent and beyond.
About ACDE
The African Council for Distance Education is the continental body for institutions committed to open, distance, and e-learning in Africa. Every three years, its members gather to share research, shape policy, and set the agenda for how Africa learns.
Nigeria has a long history with the Council. The 2nd ACDE conference was hosted by the National Open University of Nigeria in 2008. The most recent edition, held in Kenya in March 2024, convened more than 150 participants, including government representatives, regulators, university leaders, and edtech investors.
Miva Open University is a member of ACDE. We share the Council’s commitment to widening access, raising quality, and proving that online learning can deliver outcomes that matter.
The Conference at a Glance
| Event | ACDE 2027 International Conference (8th triennial) |
| Dates | 12–16 April 2027 |
| Venue | Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, South Africa |
| Focus | How open distance learning institutions can rethink the sciences for Africa in today’s geopolitics and an age of exponential technology |
| Abstract submission deadline | 30 October 2026 |
| Early registration deadline | 31 December 2026 |
Source: ACDE 2027 conference site and its important dates page.
What’s on the Agenda
The conference arrives at a turning point for higher education on the continent. Digital transformation, shifting geopolitics, mobility and a fast-growing young population are changing how learning is designed, delivered, and measured. ACDE 2027 asks how African institutions can respond on their own terms, building universities that are inclusive, resilient and ready for the future.
Papers and discussions will cover ten themes:
- 1. Digital transformation in open distance education
- 2. Financing higher education
- 3. Partnerships
- 4. African universities, sovereignty, and Africanisation
- 5. Innovation, entrepreneurship, employability, and Africa’s youth dividend
- 6. African sciences, from the blue economy and climate change to food security, public health, and space science
- 7. Leadership and institutional transformation in open, distance, and e-learning
- 8. Multidisciplinarity, future skills, and emerging fields
- 9. Inclusive, connected, and sustainable learning ecosystems
- 10. Internationalisation, mobility, and Pan-African higher education
Why It Matters
These are not abstract questions for us. Every week, Miva learners balance full-time work, family, and study, and they succeed because flexible, high-quality online education meets them where they are. Conversations like those planned for Cape Town will shape how that access grows across Africa: how it is funded, how its quality is assured, and how it connects graduates to real careers.
When African institutions share what works, more learners get the chance to learn, earn, and lead. That is a future we are committed to building.
How to Be a Part of It
Whether you are a researcher, educator, policymaker, edtech builder or student, there is a place for your voice in Cape Town.
- Submit a paper. Abstracts close on 30 October 2026. Submit your paper
- Register early. The early registration deadline is 31 December 2026. View registration fees.
- Learn more. Read the full conference background, objectives and themes on the official site.
We look forward to joining colleagues from across the continent in Cape Town as we shape the future of learning in Africa, together.