UEW Hosts EU-Funded Meeting on Teacher Development and Learning Communities
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) hosted a high-level engagement on Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in selected African countries and their implications for policy and practice.
The meeting, held at the Council Chamber on Thursday, 5th February, 2026, formed part of a mid-term evaluation of an European Union–funded initiative supporting teacher education, professional development and governance across Africa. The engagement brought together UEW management, project implementers and an independent evaluator to review progress, share experiences and explore pathways for scaling impact.
Welcoming participants, Mrs. Ekua Abedi-Boafo, the Registrar of UEW, expressed the University’s appreciation for being part of the initiative, describing it as a project that enhances research, student development and community impact while increasing the University’s global visibility.
She assured the visiting evaluator of Management’s full support for the successful implementation of all ongoing projects, emphasising UEW’s readiness to provide the necessary institutional backing. She reaffirmed UEW’s mission as a place to create, develop and share knowledge.
Providing context for the visit, Ms. Lorene Prigent, an independent evaluation consultant representing Expertise France under the European Union framework, explained that UEW was selected as part of a three-country sample, alongside Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, for the mid-term assessment of the Regional Teacher Initiative for Africa. She noted that the initiative which is budgeted at €46 million is being implemented in about 15 African countries with plans to expand to 25 within three years.
Ms. Lorene Prigent highlighted Ghana’s uniqueness, noting that it is implementing all three support windows of the initiative including technical assistance to education ministries, grant-supported interventions through Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and bilateral agencies and innovative teacher professional development models. She commended the UEW teams for their work with PLCs, describing the observed practices as impactful, field-oriented and worthy of documentation for knowledge sharing and scalability.
Prof. Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UEW, welcomed the collaboration and underscored the University’s central role in teacher education at all levels. She stated that UEW’s mandate, expertise and research capacity make it a natural hub for education-focused grants in Ghana. She further expressed the University’s commitment to advancing curriculum innovation, teacher leadership and governance while looking forward to deeper collaboration with European partners.
Prof. Frimpong Kaakyire Duku, the Principal of the College for Distance and e-Learning (CODeL), reiterated UEW’s competence in training highly skilled teachers capable of serving both local and international education systems. He called for stronger recruitment linkages to ensure that graduates trained under such initiatives are effectively utilised, describing the partnership as a potential win-win for all stakeholders.
Mr. Charles Coffie, the Internal Auditor of UEW, assured stakeholders of the University’s commitment to transparency and prudent financial management. He affirmed the Internal Audit Unit’s readiness to support implementers to ensure that all grants are used strictly for their intended purposes.
Representing the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Development (DRID), Dr. Bernard B. B. Bingab acknowledged the value of the engagement and proposed further capacity-building sessions to help UEW staff better position themselves for competitive international grants. He also highlighted opportunities for future discussions on student mobility and partnerships.
The engagement underscored UEW’s growing influence in international education partnerships and its commitment to advancing teacher professional development across Africa.
