Strengthening Integrated Early Childhood Development Systems Across Africa Through Government-Led Innovation and Partnership

The African Centre for Early Childhood Development (AfC-ECD) is an African institution established to strengthen early childhood development (ECD) systems through government leadership, evidence generation, technical assistance, strategic partnerships, and knowledge exchange. Working with national and sub-national governments, development partners, academic institutions, and civil society organizations, the Centre supports the design, implementation, and scaling of integrated ECD systems that enable young children to survive, learn, thrive, and reach their full potential.

Our work is built on the understanding that improving outcomes for young children requires coordinated action across education, health, nutrition, child protection, social protection, and family support systems. Rather than delivering stand-alone programmes, the Centre focuses on strengthening government capacity and institutional systems that can sustainably deliver quality services at scale.

The Centre's flagship initiative supports the implementation and scaling of integrated ECD systems beginning in Ethiopia while generating practical lessons that can be adapted across Africa. This includes supporting governments to strengthen parenting programmes, improve the quality of pre-primary education, develop and professionalize the early childhood workforce, establish quality assurance systems, expand access to child-friendly services, and strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.

A key component of this work is supporting the integration of nurturing care and early learning into existing government systems, including health and education services. The Centre collaborates closely with ministries, regional governments, universities, and development partners to build institutional capacity through technical assistance, workforce development, implementation support, and evidence-informed policy development.

The Centre also serves as a regional knowledge hub by documenting implementation experiences, facilitating South-South learning, and promoting collaboration among African countries. In 2026, the Centre convened the Addis International Early Childhood Conference, bringing together government leaders, researchers, practitioners, development partners, and international organizations from across Africa and beyond to share practical experiences in strengthening ECD systems and advancing foundational learning.

Digital innovation is another important component of the initiative. The Centre is supporting the development of integrated monitoring dashboards, data systems, implementation research, and learning platforms that enable governments to monitor progress, improve decision-making, and strengthen accountability across sectors.

Through strategic partnerships with governments, multilateral organizations, foundations, research institutions, and implementing partners, the Centre seeks to accelerate progress toward equitable access to quality early childhood development and foundational learning services across Africa. By strengthening systems rather than isolated projects, the initiative aims to support sustainable improvements in child development outcomes while contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063.