The UK ELT sector is invited to support the FCO’s Africa strategy by working with the British Council to design and implement English language pilots in Francophone West Africa as part of a new programme to connect the UK to African youth and the future generation of leaders through English.

The UK Government has placed a new importance on Francophone West Africa. It is seeking to uplift the UK’s presence and influence in the Sahel region and to support inclusive growth, trade and economic partnerships. As the UK, we are seeking to improve the quality of English language learning and teaching and to facilitate digital literacy, thereby creating opportunities to enable young people to fulfil their potential while improving their employability, resilience and networks.

The FCO has recently provided funding to run English pilots in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Mali with a focus on urban youth (18-35) as the main beneficiaries.

Activity needs to have taken place by 31 March 2019, meaning a fast turnaround of proposals, planning in December and delivery from January 2019. Should these pilots be successful, as evidenced by clearly defined monitoring and evaluation indicators, there could be further funding available over the next two years.