Education ministers from 12 African countries to meet in Nairobi

Education Ministers from 12 African countries will meet in Nairobi to discuss issues of applied science and Stem subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Others in attendance will be scientists, development experts, business partners and scholars from the region.

The two- day conference will discuss strategies to strengthen capabilities of Africa to prepare manpower it needs for an industrial economy.

The meeting will be held under the theme, "Leveraging Technical, Vocational and Technical Training (TVET) in the knowledge and skills ecosystem for Africa’s industrialization."

The meeting to be held in April 2024 will be chaired by Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu and will among others explore how to aid growth of industries through education.

Partnerships for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (Paset) and technology will host the conference.

Currently, Paset programme has 12 member states; Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Somalia.

The programme focuses on building skills in Stem amongst learners from secondary schools to institutions of higher learning.

For the last ten years, Paset has organised five forums around Africa that have served as an avenue for knowledge-sharing and bring together diverse stakeholders for a rich exchange of strategies to build high quality technical and scientific capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Over the years, Paset has organized several study tours for African governments and institutions to partner countries to promote knowledge exchange on higher education and skills development.

The details emerged during a breakfast meeting chaired by Machogu and development partners at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Nairobi.

The development partners who attended the meeting include the World Bank, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Machogu said the region needs to build technical and scientific capacity in applied science, engineering and technology which are key facets in socio-economic transformation.

“This is the right time to accelerate our socio-economic transformation by developing skilled professionals in areas of Stem in our technical institutions. This will enable our learners to integrate well in an increasing innovative and technological workforce,” he said.

The CS emphasised the importance of raising and nurturing skills in youth at an early stage to enable them to achieve their full potential.

“We are determined as a government to tap into the youth where we see a lot of potential that is necessary for the growth of the economy,” Machogu said.