:Draft:Lawalley Cole

Dr. Lawalley Cole is a Gambian educator, international development specialist, and advocate for youth empowerment. He is the founding Executive Director of the Coalition on Media and Education for Development Africa Forum (CAFOR), which supports education reform and sustainable development across Africa through communication and media engagement.

Cole pursued higher education in Africa, Europe, and the United States. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and studied at the Université de Franche-Comté in France and the Université du Bénin in Togo. He later completed a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a doctorate in business administration from Walden University.

Cole began his professional career in the Ministry of Education (The Gambia), serving in senior roles from 1985 to 1991.[https://cafor.org/executive-board Dr. Lawalley Cole – Executive Profile], CAFOR. Retrieved April 2025. He then joined UNICEF, where he served as Chief of Education for 15 years in several countries, including Mali, Zambia, Burundi, and The Gambia.

From 2007 to 2017, he served as the Coordinator of the Working Group on Communication for Education and Development for the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), hosted by the African Development Bank, focusing on education reform and communication strategies.[https://www.africannewspage.net/2019/02/ca-for-young-africans Lawalley Cole Interview], African Newspage, Feb 14, 2019.

In 2018, Cole co-founded CAFOR and became its Executive Director. Based at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, CAFOR aims to align education systems with labor market needs and promote youth skills development across Africa. Under his leadership, CAFOR supports the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25) and Agenda 2063.

Key initiatives include:

• The Digital Schools Initiative for ICT integration
• The African Virtual Library
• Media and communications training for African journalists
• Programs for education in emergencies and support for marginalized youth[https://cafor.org/flagship-projects CAFOR Flagship Projects], CAFOR, 2023.

CAFOR has also partnered with the European Business University of Luxembourg to offer tuition-free online courses and scholarships to African youth.[https://cafor.org/ebu-scholarship-2023 CAFOR and EBU Partnership], CAFOR, 2023.

Dr. Cole has participated in numerous TV and radio interviews across Africa:

• In 2020, he gave a French-language interview in Kigali, Rwanda on youth education and African integration.
• He has appeared on Addis Media Network (AMN) several times between 2018 and 2025 discussing CAFOR’s work and AU education strategy alignment.
• In February 2025, he was interviewed virtually by the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) from Banjul, The Gambia, on continental education and CAFOR’s partnerships.
• He has been interviewed by Afro FM 105.3 and ETV in Ethiopia, promoting youth-centered education policy.

Cole also actively engages via LinkedIn, where he publishes thought leadership pieces on education, youth policy, and resilience, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. He uses the platform to highlight CAFOR activities and inspire dialogue around African education and governance.

In 2018, Cole was named a Patron of the African Youth SDGs Summit in Accra, Ghana, honoring his leadership in education and sustainable development advocacy.[https://www.yourcommonwealth.org/2018/06/11/african-youth-sdgs-summit-introduces-summit-patrons African Youth SDGs Summit Introduces Summit Patrons], YourCommonwealth, June 2018.

In 2022, he received the Outstanding Diplomatic Award for Youth Development in Africa from the African Youth SDGs Achievers Awards at their 4th Summit in Addis Ababa. The award recognized his diplomatic and leadership role in promoting youth empowerment across Africa.[https://sdgachieversawards.org/winners-2022/ Winners – Outstanding Diplomatic Award], African Youth SDGs Achievers Awards, 2022.

Cole is the author of Education for African Development (2017), published in French by Éditions Universitaires Européennes.[https://www.africavivre.com/fr/librairie-africaine/education-pour-le-developpement-de-lafrique.html Cole, Lawalley. Education pour le développement de l’Afrique], Éditions Universitaires Européennes, 2017.

He has also contributed to journals such as the Hungarian Journal of African Studies (Afrika Tanulmányok), including articles on African higher education, leadership, and digital learning in support of the African Union's development goals.

• [https://cafor.org CAFOR Official Website]
• [https://www.youtube.com/@cafor-ngowebsite CAFOR YouTube Channel]
• [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawalley-cole-2719795b/ Dr. Lawalley Cole on LinkedIn]

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