The African Union Commission and the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD) with the support of the German government, will host a Knowledge Market Place Exhibition to launch the African Union Year of Education Transformation on the margins of the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. 

Under the theme “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa”, the knowledge market place will be held on Saturday February 17 to Sunday 18 2024 from 08:00 to 18:00 EAT daily at the Foyer of the Nelson Mandela Hall of the AUC Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Notably, the knowledge market place will host a number of eminent persons and dignitaries for a photoshoot at 09:00 on Sunday 18, 2024 at the exhibition venue.
 
Over the past decade, African governments have implemented various programs and policies aimed at ensuring equitable access to education for all children. Despite significant efforts to enhance access, completion, and quality of basic education across the continent, several concerning indicators persist: 

• Out-of-school rates remain high.
  Learning poverty remains a challenge
• Africa faces a shortage of 17 million teachers to achieve universal primary and secondary education by 2030.
• The continent requires over 90% of global external financing needs for education by 2030.
• An additional $40 billion is needed to finance education in Africa to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and align with Africa's Agenda 2063 aspirations.

Addressing each specific goal outlined in the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2016-2025 and SDG4 requires urgent transformation and revitalisation of the entire education system. Special attention must be given to marginalised groups, including girls, children in rural areas, those living with disabilities, and those in fragile countries and contexts.

The African Union has adopted “Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa” as the theme for the year 2024. The Year of Education Transformation will be an opportunity for the African Union to mobilize Governments and Development partners to rethink the models and modalities of education and skills development needed for Africa in the 21st century. A number of priority actions have been outlined in the 2024 Year of Education Roadmap which will be launched and implemented .
 
The Knowledge Marketplace will serve to socialize the theme of the Year and showcase various initiatives in-line with the thematic outcome areas of the Transforming Education in Africa Concept Note and Roadmap. The Knowledge Marketplace will launch the commemorative engagementsby providing an interactive and dynamic exhibition that facilitates the showcasing of innovation, sharing best practice, and fostering knowledge exchange in Education from across the Continent. The TVET cluster, CESA Cluster leads, development partners and stakeholders will utilize the Knowledge Marketplace to engage with Member States and other stakeholders.