Tunji Alausa, minister of education, says Nigeria is deepening investments in artificial intelligence, learning analytics and digital infrastructure to accelerate the country’s education transformation agenda.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the MoodleMoot Africa conference 2025, themed “Leveraging the power of disruptive technologies for Africa’s educational transformation”, Alausa said technology has become central to Africa’s efforts to promote access, equity and excellence in learning.
The minister, who welcomed participants on behalf of the federal government and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), said the conference presents an opportunity for African educators to strengthen collaboration and achieve digital sovereignty over learning systems and data.
“We are gathered here today to explore how open-source solutions like Moodle have transformed learning globally offering cost-effectiveness, flexibility, local customization, hosting scalability and ownership to our educational institutions,” he said.
Alausa said the federal government has introduced several technology-driven policies, including the ICT-in-education policy (2019), science and technology education policy (2020), and the open educational resources policy (2024), to standardise digital tools, align skills to industrial needs, and ensure publicly funded content remains freely accessible.
He added that agencies such as NITDA, TETFund, Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria, and the National Universities Commission (NUC) are collaborating to expand infrastructure, strengthen teacher capacity, and develop the national education data system—initiatives aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
The minister also highlighted NOUN’s pioneering role in deploying Moodle at scale to deliver open and distance learning across Nigeria, noting that the institution has now integrated AI-assisted tutoring, multilingual content, and early-warning analytics to support learner success.
“Africa’s transformation cannot be achieved in silos,” he said. “I call on policymakers, educators, technologists, researchers, and students to move from dialogue to scalable action.”
Alausa urged participants to use the three-day conference to interrogate ideas, share experiences, and make recommendations that will help build an African education system that is “globally competitive yet locally relevant.”
He declared the conference open, inviting delegates to also experience Abuja’s hospitality and local cuisine during their stay.
‘MOODLE TECHNOLOGY CONNECTING RURAL LEARNERS TO GLOBAL CLASSROOMS’
Olufemi Peters, vice-chancellor of NOUN, described MoodleMoot Africa as a movement that unites academics, technologists, and innovators across the continent to promote inclusive, technology-driven learning.
He said the third edition of the conference—being hosted in Nigeria for the first time after South Africa—demonstrates the continent’s growing confidence in digital education.
“Through Moodle, technology has become a bridge that connects rural learners to global classrooms and empowers teachers to become digital architects,” Peters said.
The vice-chancellor revealed that the conference features over 90 paper presentations and four high-impact panel sessions organized around three thematic tracks: inclusive access and student success, empowering skills development and innovative pedagogies, and building sustainable Moodle ecosystems.
Grace Jackson, chairperson of the local organising committee (LOC), said the conference would showcase Africa’s innovations in digital learning, with participants exploring artificial intelligence in education, learning analytics, cybersecurity, and policy frameworks for sustainable Moodle ecosystems.
Lindi Mminele, deputy high commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, commended NOUN for hosting the event and emphasized the importance of digital transformation in bridging educational gaps across Africa.
“This conference plays a critical role in showcasing how technology like Moodle can support scalable, inclusive, and localized learning experiences across the continent,” she said.
