African Continental 
Qualifications
Framework (ACQF)

Skills And Qualifications Across Africa

The ACQF is designed to enhance transparency, comparability, and mutual recognition of qualifications across AU Member States, regional economic communities (RECs), and sectors. As a continental reference tool it connects and strengthens national and regional qualifications frameworks while promoting skills mobility and trust in African education and training systems.

Launched in 2022 by AUDA-NEPAD in partnership with Afreximbank at the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Objectives

The African Continental Qualifications Framework aims to:

Promote comparability and recognition of qualifications across Africa

Facilitate the mobility of learners and workers across borders and sectors

Support national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) with guidance, capacity building, and implementation tools

Foster quality assurance and transparency in education and training systems

Advance lifelong learning by recognising skills acquired through formal, non-formal, and informal means

Enable evidence-based decision-making through data systems, monitoring, and continental reporting.

Programme Pillars

1

Reference Structure

1

Reference Structure

Ten-Level Reference Structure

2

Learning

2

Learning

Learning Outcomes-Based Approach

3

RPL

3

RPL

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

4

ACQF

4

ACQF

ACQF Observatory

5

Continental Priority

5

Continental Priority

Alignment with Continental Priorities

Resources & Downloads

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Programme Brochure
Additional Resources

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Key campaigns

Partners

Contact

Nqobile Zwane
nqobile-z@auda.nepad.org