ABUJA, Nigeria, 11 June 2026. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) announces the forthcoming formal launch of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Mission in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Mission marks a major continental expansion of the TAP Project under Categories 2.7 and 2.8 of the scheme, in alignment with NEPAD_EY, the platform of synchronisation for the development of education and youth in Africa.

Egypt, a founding member of the African Union and one of the most strategically positioned nations of the continent, stands as a critical gateway for the continental education mandate that UNESCO REF carries through NEPAD_EY.

Advancing the Global Goals

Faire progresser les objectifs mondiaux

The TAP SDGs Mission in Egypt contributes directly to three of the Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 4, Quality Education. Expanding access to learning and strengthening educational systems.
• SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. Empowering young people with the skills required for sustainable employment.
• SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Building resilient systems for innovation and industrial growth.

Strategic alignment

Alignement stratégique

The Mission is fully aligned with three frameworks of international and continental consequence:

• The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The African Union Agenda 2063, for the transformation of Africa.
• The UNESCO Education 2030 Framework for Action, for inclusive and equitable education.

The Mission

La Mission

The TAP SDGs Mission in Egypt will mobilise Egyptian and Nigerian youth, institutions and development partners to advance generational capacity building. It represents a unified effort to strengthen education, innovation and economic opportunity across Africa.

A continental call

Un appel continental

“Egypt is not merely a destination. It is a declaration of the continental purpose of UNESCO REF.”

UNESCO REF

Further details of the continental programme are available on the NEPAD_EY page.

ENDS

ABUJA, Nigeria. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF), through Category 2.9 of The August Project (TAP), is working with global partners to deliver joint training for young people in the digital sector. Under the Strategic Intervention Programme X1 (SIP-X1) on the digital revolution, more than 120,000 young Nigerians will benefit each year.

Digital technologies are reshaping every sphere of economic and social life, from finance and commerce to education, health and public administration. For a country with one of the youngest populations in the world, the capacity of young people to participate in that transformation, safely and productively, will shape national prosperity for a generation.

Why digital capacity, why now

Pourquoi les compétences numériques, et pourquoi maintenant

Three developments make investment in digital capacity urgent in Nigeria:

• The pace of digitisation across public and private services.
• The expansion of mobile access, bringing millions of new users online.
• Proactive policy initiatives by the Central Bank of Nigeria to deepen digital financial services.

Each brings opportunity, and each brings risk. Without matching skills, user protection and good practice lag behind adoption, leaving new users exposed to fraud, misinformation and exclusion.

The programme

Le programme

SIP-X1 equips participants with the knowledge and skills to seize digital opportunities and to reduce digital risks, so that young people can adopt and adapt to the digital revolution responsibly. It is delivered through the Digital Technology Capacity Building (DTCB) programme, a core component of the TAP Project, which provides structured training and guidance for sustainable participation in the global digital economy.

UNESCO REF holds that early investment in training is essential, so that stakeholders and beneficiaries alike are prepared for fast-changing technologies rather than overtaken by them.

Significance

Portée

At a scale of 120,000 young people a year, SIP-X1 is designed not as a pilot but as a national contribution to digital inclusion. It complements UNESCO REF’s wider digital portfolio, including the GET EDUCATED pathway with the Global Learning Exchange and the ARDAI TIER I programme in artificial intelligence.

ENDS