APA-Nairobi (Kenya) – At a high-level dialogue at the 2024 Annual Meetings in Nairobi, Kenya experts urged countries to step up efforts to attract private financing for education to equip young people with competitive skills.
Experts participating in a high-level dialogue at the African Development Bank in Kenya have urged African countries to step up their efforts to attract private sector funding to strengthen higher education and equip the continent’s youth with competitive skills.
Speaking on a panel at the Bank’s 2024 Annual Meetings in Nairobi, former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, chair of the board of the Global Partnership for Education, called for a renewed commitment to increase national spending on education.
“To build a stronger higher education network, we need to build a strong foundation with pre-primary, primary and secondary education to create a pool of talented young people trained for lifelong learning that will allow them to thrive,” he said.
The Bank organized the event, entitled “Policy Dialogue on Innovative Financing of Higher Education in Africa: Revitalizing the Role of the Private Sector,” in partnership with the government of Kenya, the African Union Commission, and GIZ.
During the session, the African Development Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GIZ, according to a press release accessed by APA on Wednesday, to “intensify joint commitments to skills development to improve the employability of young people in Africa.”
Birgit Pickel, Director General for Africa at the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, welcomed this “first memorandum of understanding between the two organizations in the field of education,” which reflects “our intention to intensify our joint commitment to vocational training and skills development in African countries.”
Beth Dunford, the Bank’s Vice President for Agriculture and Human and Social Development, pointed out that “the institution has committed $964 million to higher education and skills development over the past decade, with a focus on infrastructure and catalyzing private investment.”
Professor Mohamed Belhocine, African Union Commissioner for Education, emphasized the need for combined national, continental and global efforts to invest in higher education.
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