NAIROBI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Monday urged Africa to leverage on Information Communication Technology (ICT) in order to achieve universal education access for all its residents.

Abdul Rahman Lamin, the Social and Human Sciences Specialists at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) told Xinhua in Nairobi that African governments should take advantage of the continent's growing mobile and internet penetration rates to increase access to education.

"ICT is one of the tools that the African continent can use to promote universal access to quality education," Lamin said during the Youth Dialogue on Education Conference on Inclusive and Gender Responsive Education.

The conference aims to provide recommendations for broad engagement of young people in education reforms and research in Africa.

Lamin said that in order for ICT to be beneficial in the educational sector, African governments will have to invest in infrastructure as well as in the training of its teachers to optimally utilize digital equipment.

UNESCO also urged African states to incorporate elements of digital innovations in the dissemination of education.

"ICT should play a prominent role in national education policies as the world is increasingly relying on technologies to accelerate socio-economic development," Lamin said.

He called on African governments to prioritize investments in the education sector in order to improve the continent's low literacy rates.

He noted that the education sector should not be neglected as it is a key driver of economic growth.