The Association of African Universities (AAU), headquartered in Accra, is spearheading a USD 137 million regional initiative to expand education and vocational training access for up to 850,000 vulnerable young people across Chad and Mauritania, with the project formally launched on May 4, 2026.
The Sahel Regional Engagement for Learning and Collaboration in Education (RELANCE) project is funded by the World Bank and the Federal Republic of Germany, implemented in collaboration with the governments of both target countries. It targets refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and nomadic communities — populations that face the steepest barriers to schooling in one of the world’s most educationally underserved regions.
The scale of the problem driving the initiative is stark. In the Central Sahel, one in three young people is currently out of school. In Chad, 57 percent of primary-school-aged children do not attend school. In Mauritania, 45 percent of secondary-school-aged youth are outside the education system. Globally, 46 percent of school-aged refugee children remain out of school.
RELANCE addresses these gaps through three interlocking components. The first establishes a regional institute for applied research, policy advisory, and professional training, targeting at least 1,500 education practitioners across both countries. The second introduces a flexible Open School model offering alternative education and vocational training, with a focus on climate resilience and digital learning. At least half of the 850,000 young people the project aims to reach will be female. The third component supports coordinated project management, monitoring, and financial oversight at both regional and national levels.
Gender equity sits at the core of the programme’s design. The project specifically promotes girls’ enrolment and retention through targeted incentives and the development of learning environments that respond to gender-specific barriers.
The AAU serves as the Regional Facilitation Unit, providing strategic oversight, stakeholder coordination, and performance monitoring across the project’s lifespan. Dr. Abass Youba Sylla, an AAU staff member based at the Project Secretariat in Chad, will coordinate day-to-day implementation.
Prof. Olusola B. Oyewole, Secretary-General of the AAU, described the project as both an opportunity and a responsibility for the continent’s lead university body to deepen its engagement in one of Africa’s most challenging regions.
