Youthhub Africa reports that meeting at the annual eLearning Africa
Ministerial Round Table at the African Union Headquarters
in Addis Ababa, ministers and senior officials from 15
African countries said that, as the average age of Africa’s
population is getting younger every year, the continent
faces both a growing challenge and a significant
opportunity.
The Ministerial Round Table, which was held under
Chatham House Rules, discussed the theme of “Youth,
Innovation and the Development of Talent.” It provided an
opportunity for ministers, experts and business leaders
to discuss how to use Africa’s increasingly young population
to entrench long-term economic growth. The opening
session of the Round Table, which was addressed by
speakers, including Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister
Dr Debretson Gebremichael; Shiferaw Shigute, Minister of
Education of Ethiopia; Mohamma Ouedraogo, Director of
Human Resources, Science and Technology at the African
Union and Guenter Nooke, the personal representative for
Africa of German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, noted
that Africa faces a significant skills gap.
“We have to invest in the future and the future is in the
hands of our youth,” said one Minister. Investing in
innovation and skills for young people will not only help to
narrow the skills gap, but also to boost job creation and
create “a breeding ground for the development of the
private sector.” If the right decisions are taken, according to
one senior official, the continent’s demographics “could
catapult Africa to become a global centre for
manufacturing, ICT and service industries.”
The benefit will not, however, “happen by itself.” The
fundamental question is, therefore, how Africa should
invest in its youth.
“It is about more than just introducing ICT into the
classroom,” said the official. “It requires a national
strategy.” He said that every African country needed to
focus on “mainstreaming ICT.”
Ministers identified several priority areas for investment ,
including science and technology; focusing on the quality of
education, improving both teacher training and learner
outcomes; equipping education systems, from primary level
onwards, for ICT; bridging the digital divide and increasing
connectivity; delivering good content; ensuring more focus
on innovative approaches to eLearning, especially in rural
areas; creating new links between schools, universities and
industry, so that the education system provides the basic
skills industry needs; and helping graduates to acquire the
soft skills they need for the job market.
A senior government official also commented that ICT
should play a significant role in strengthening democracy by
encouraging young people to participate in decision-
making. It was vital, he said, for Governments to help to
facilitate open dialogue and to “lose their fear of
transparency.”
No comments:
Post a Comment