We are a non-profit, Pan African Non-Governmental Organisation committed to promoting quality education and skills development, innovative research, and lifelong learning opportunities for Africa’s socio-economic transformation.

We are inspired by the vision and aspirations of the late Prof. Francis K. A. Allotey (the renowned Ghanaian mathematical physicist and promoter of STEM education in Africa), who mentored the founding partners of ESDEV Foundation Africa.

We believe that Africa’s greatest resource is its people, therefore, investment in education and skills development will empower the youth to address the multidimensional causes of poverty.

Prof. Francis K. A. Allotey (1932 - 2017)

Our Vision

To become the leading organisation in Africa in the area of education, skills development, and research.

 

Our Approach

  • Training, Research & Publications
  • Community engagements & Outreach
  • Partnerships & Collaborative working
  • Advocacy & Communication
  • Coaching & Mentorship

Our Core Values

Pan-Africanism

We work to harness Africa’s resources both home and abroad towards socio-economic transformation of the Continent.

Empowerment

We are mindful that Africa’s transformation requires intentional capacity development of its people and their institutions.

Impact

We are desirous to see results and tangible effects of our actions.

Access, Equity & Inclusion

We recognise that everyone matters in Africa’s transformation processes, we therefore create opportunities and the enabling environment for all in the areas of our specialization.

Professionalism

We are diligent, skilled, and committed to our tasks

Our People

Prof. Francis Owusu-Mensah – Chief Executive Officer

Prof. Francis Owusu-Mensah is an experienced University Professor with expertise in Distance Education, e-Learning and Developmental Psychology. He has undertaken a number of consultancies and led projects on ODeL, Educational Programme Evaluation, Quality Assurance, and Teacher Education, at the National and International levels. Among the institutions he has consulted for include; The World Bank, Department for International Development (DfID), UNESCO, and the British Council. He was a member of the team that developed the quality assurance guidelines for all the 46 Colleges of Education in Ghana.

He has extensive knowledge in both the theory and practice of ODeL for human and organizational development. He was one of the few lecturers who started the then Institute for Educational Development and Extension (IEDE) of the University of Education (Winneba) in 1994, which later became the Institute for Distance and eLearning (IDeL). Due to his vast experience in ODeL, and his commitment to inclusivity in education, Francis was appointed as the Director for IDeL from 2017 to 2021 and also served as the foundational Principal of the College for Distance and eLearning (CoDeL) from 2021 to 2022, when the University of Education, Winneba, adopted the collegiate system.

Prof. Owusu-Mensah holds a Ph.D in Education with specialization in Open, Distance and e- Learning (ODeL) from the University of Nottingham, (UK), M.A in Education and International Development: ODeL Option, from the Institute of Education, University of London (UK), and MPhil in Development Psychology, from the University of Ghana.