Location: Washington DC, USA.
Date: 2nd – 3rd, May 2019.
Theme: Engaging Partnerships and Collaborations for Development in Higher Education
Rationale/Overview
According to the Sharing Higher Education’s Promise beyond the Few in Sub-Saharan Africa report, which was released in 2017 by the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa saw the fastest growth in its tertiary gross enrollment with the gross enrollment ratio (GER) at an average annual rate of 4.3 percent between 1970 and 2013, compared with a global annual average increase of 2.8 percent over the same period; although the tertiary enrolment rates are by far the lowest in the world at 8.5% in 2013, as compared with 40% in Latin America in 2010, or the current global average of 26%.
In the same vein, the same 2017 World Bank’s report, however, stated that tertiary education sector in sub-Saharan Africa has traditionally played a weak role in promoting entrepreneurship and diffusing technology and innovation; while graduates of tertiary education have higher unemployment rates than youth with only a primary or secondary. More so, the Africa – America Institute’s State of Education in Africa report 2015 indicated that a severe mismatch still exists between the skills of young African workers and the skills that employers need for today’s global workforce.
Needless to say, research and development is a critical measure of the quality of higher education. As such, it is quite appalling that the continent only accounted for 1.3% of global Research & Development (R&D) in 2013, with R&D expenditure as a share of GDP at 0.5%, compared to a world average of 1.7%, and 2.7% for North America, according to data from UNESCO. In 2014, Africa claimed 2.1% of world scholarly publications, compared to 33.1% for Asia, and 32.9% for Europe.
Therefore, African countries will be able to accelerate and spur socio-economic transformation simply by developing strong curriculums for a knowledge-based global economy and increasing investments and spending to build a globally competitive higher education in Africa. In line with this perspective, the African Leadership magazine presents the 4TH AFRICAN EDUCATION SUMMIT (AES), with the theme set as Engaging Partnerships and Collaborations for Development in Higher Education.
This summit that will therefore bring together and engage policymakers, education leaders in the private and public sectors, international development institutions, Think-tanks and stakeholders from across the United States and Africa in a series of high-level sessions with the aim of fostering formidable and high net-worth collaborations, mutually-beneficial and effective multi-stakeholder partnerships, policy dialogues and interactions, as well as bespoke and private investment meetings, to strengthen the educational systems in Africa for sustainable development.
The Summit, therefore, will achieve the following objectives:
- Promote innovation and solution-driven partnerships to build a globally competitive higher education in Africa.
- Engage policymakers, education leaders and stakeholders, and international development institutions to present thought-leadership on the new African education landscape.
- Create an enriching global platform for stakeholders and practitioners to share their thoughts and perspectives on addressing the challenges in the rapidly changing political, cultural and educational landscape on the continent.
- Shape the narrative on Africa through dialogue, collaborations on improving research & development and innovative practices that improves on the impact of higher education systems and practices.
- Promote and celebrate innovation and excellence in the educational sector.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SUMMIT
- High-level Keynote & Paper Presentations
- ”STEM Education for Development in Africa” Session- A panel session with policymakers, industry players and international development institutions on addressing skills shortages in many vital sectors that require immediate attention, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- A Session on “Global Partnership for Development in Africa’s Education Sector” – A roundtable session with education leaders from across the United States and Africa on building collaborations and partnerships for development in Higher education
- African Educational Institutions of Excellence Awards and Showcase
- Study Tour of Leading High Institutions in the United States
- International Educational Fair & Innovations Festival: A showcase of trends, research and innovative sustainability projects in Universities across Africa.
- Unrivalled Networking Sessions & Opportunities.
EXPECTED PARTICIPANTS:
- Heads of Government Agencies and Education regulatory bodies
- Ministers of Education from across Africa
- Leaders of Public and Private sector educational institutions
- International Development Agencies and Consultants
- Private Sector and Multi-National Organization
- Think-Tanks and Stakeholders
- International NGOs/CBOs, etc.
For more information on participation and sponsorship, kindly register here or please contact our office, as shown below-
African Leadership (UK) Limited
C/O African Leadership Magazine
Portsmouth Technopole, Kingston Crescent
Portsmouth, PO2 8FA
The United Kingdom.
Tel: + 44 7418 471672; + 447438802727 or +2347013038861
Email: info@africanleadershipmagazine.co.uk
Website: www.africanleadership.co.uk
