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The first MOJA webinar of the year brought together adult educators, researchers and practitioners from across the continent for a rich exchange on how adult learning and education (ALE) transforms lives, livelihoods and communities.

Opening the session, David Harrington, ACP/MOJA Project Manager, reminded participants that ALE extends far beyond basic literacy. At its core, it equips people with the competencies, confidence and agency needed to participate meaningfully in economic and social life. From entrepreneurship to community development, ALE plays a critical role in strengthening both individuals and societies.

Reimagining Community Learning: Gravity Community Learning Centre, Nairobi

Salomé Olessi Terra introduced participants to the Gravity Community Learning Centre in Nairobi — a vibrant, community-driven learning space grounded in Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) framework.

What makes Gravity distinctive is its fully experiential model. Learning happens through themed studios that translate theory into practice. The AI Studio integrates emerging technologies to build digital literacy and problem-solving skills. The Agricultural Education Farm allows learners to engage directly in crop production, animal care, environmental sustainability, and renewable energy practices. The cultural “Boma” preserves indigenous knowledge, intergenerational dialogue, and conflict resolution traditions, while linking culture to human rights and shared responsibility.

Beyond youth learning, the Centre actively promotes parental engagement, helping families navigate the transition to CBC and equipping them to support their children’s development. Gravity also serves as a community hub — hosting social events, skills training, income-generating activities, and small enterprise initiatives.

A recurring theme in Salomé’s presentation was integration: formal, non-formal and informal learning are not treated as separate silos, but as interconnected pathways across the life course. The Centre’s long-term vision is to grow into a recognised “learning city” model, demonstrating how community-based innovation can anchor lifelong learning.

Senior Entrepreneurship in Botswana: Resilience and Agency in Later Life

Professor Rebecca Lekoko shifted the conversation to Botswana, presenting research on entrepreneurial pathways among older adults who have participated in Out of School Education and Training (OSET).

She underscored that functional literacy goes beyond reading and writing. It enables individuals to address two forms of vulnerability: low income and participation poverty — the exclusion from decision-making processes and access to opportunity. Through entrepreneurial training across sectors such as agriculture, tourism, arts, design and Indigenous Knowledge Systems, OSET supports adults to convert skills into sustainable livelihoods.

The presentation centred on two senior women entrepreneurs:

• Ms Kentsenao Rotwane (67), who runs basketry and pottery enterprises rooted in indigenous craftsmanship learned through intergenerational knowledge transfer.
• Ms Gadifele Onneng (65), who combines sewing and plastic recycling, producing shoes, bags and hats while contributing to environmental sustainability.

Their stories illustrated that age is not a limitation but an asset — bringing resilience, experience, networks, and depth of insight. Both women began their businesses in 2013 despite facing significant barriers, including limited start-up capital, restricted market access and broader systemic challenges linked to ageing populations.

Professor Lekoko also highlighted structural concerns: declining institutional support for adult education, insufficient marketing systems for senior entrepreneurs, limited policy alignment, and the need for certification of indigenous skills. Participants from Algeria, West Africa and Cameroon echoed similar experiences, noting that adult education across regions continues to struggle for policy recognition and sustainable funding, despite its proven social and economic returns.

A Shared Reflection

Across both presentations, a powerful message emerged: adult education works best when it is rooted in lived realities. Whether through a community learning centre in Nairobi or senior entrepreneurship programmes in Botswana, ALE becomes transformative when it links knowledge to dignity, participation, and economic possibility.

The session concluded with an overview of the MOJA platform and its offerings, including the MOJA Journal, country profiles, resources and upcoming events designed to strengthen the ALE community across Africa.

If you were unable to attend or would like to revisit the discussion, the full recording is available above.

Entrepenuerial Pathways in Adult Education - Professor Rebecca Lekoko

Gravity CLC/CBC Centre Nairobi Learning City - Salomé Olessi Terra

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