Regenerative Education Systems: Aligning Experiential Learning with Africa's Emerging Opportunity Landscapes

Authors

Ndubueze Leonard Mbah, State University of New York at Buffalo, United States

Mara Huber, State University of New York at Buffalo, United States

Published in

IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings

ISSN: 2576-8581

ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.67725/IST-Africa.2026.SMFB2236

Publisher

IST-Africa Institute and IIMC International Information Management Corporation Ltd

Published in Ireland

Abstract

African education systems face a dual challenge: most learners complete basic schooling without foundational competencies, while even high-achieving graduates struggle to activate their skills in local economies. Across much of the Global South, inequities in the learning system-where vitality should be generated, strengthened, and recognized-and in the opportunity ecosystem-where vitality should be activated, leveraged, and returned as regenerative intelligence-constrain youth potential from becoming societal value. This deepens the structural disconnect between teaching and learning and the emerging innovation, sustainability, and opportunity environments shaping development trajectories, resulting in knowledge-economy loss and dependency. This paper presents a case study of a regenerative education model that addresses this disconnect and activation deficit by combining the PEARL experiential learning framework with a novel project-design heuristic (Latent Impact) and a sector-mapping tool (Opportunity Density). Using Enugu State, Nigeria as the primary case, the paper illustrates how statewide integration of experiential learning-through a competency-based curriculum, a network of Smart Green Schools, and a central innovation intermediary-can strengthen competencies, deepen engagement, and align learning with emerging economic and ecological sectors. Enugu's reform model is both responsive and regenerative, enabling students to create value that circulates locally and catalyses growth. At a moment when governments across Africa are investing in youth development and skills reform with urgency but without clear implementation models, the Enugu case offers both a practical architecture and an invitation to dialogue.

Keywords

Experiential Learning; Regenerative Education; Project-Based Learning; Competency Development; PEARL Framework; Latent Impact; Opportunity Density; African Education Systems; Smart Green Schools; Activation Gap

Cite this paper

N.L. Mbah and M. Huber (2026) "Regenerative Education Systems: Aligning Experiential Learning with Africa's Emerging Opportunity Landscapes", IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings, Miriam Cunningham and Paul Cunningham (Eds), IST-Africa Institute and IIMC, 2026, ISSN: 2576-8581, ISBN: 978-1-905824-76-2, https://doi.org/10.67725/IST-Africa.2026.SMFB2236

Access Paper

Click here to access this paper

IST-Africa Community Members can download papers by logging into their existing account.

If you wish to become a member of IST-Africa Community, please register your profile and you will then receive login details which you can use to access the papers.

Access to papers in the IST-Africa 2026 Conference Proceedings is for INDIVIDUAL USE only. Neither the Conference Proceedings (or individual double blind peer reviewed papers) are to be included in any public or institutional repository or processed in the context of any AI tool or large language model without prior written permission from the Publishers.

While the IST-Africa Institute and IIMC retain copyright of the Conference Proceedings, each author retains copyright to their individual paper. No paper or part thereof may be reproduced without the written permission of both the Conference Proceedings Publishers and appropriate author(s).