The Africa Foreword Summit opened on Monday in Nairobi, Kenyan capital with French President Emmanuel Macron calling for deeper cooperation between Africa and Europe in technology, energy, and innovation.
Speaking during a high-level youth engagement forum at the University of Nairobi alongside Kenyan President William Ruto, Macron said Africa and Europe face similar challenges in reducing technological dependence on major global powers.
He said Africa and Europe must move beyond traditional aid-based relations and instead pursue equal partnerships built on investment, education and technological advancement.
“Africa is succeeding. It is the youngest continent in the world and has the highest growth in the world. All that Africa needs is investments to be more sovereign and we want to be partners on an equal level,” Macron said.
The French leader said future cooperation would prioritize science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), artificial intelligence, digital skills and innovation-driven training programs for young people across the continent.
“You have to train more with investments to build STEM and AI capacities, partnerships with the best universities and educate more talent to ensure young people are trained here and help develop the continent,” he said.
French President Host President William Ruto of Kenya said his administration has prioritized changing the education system to leverage the ground for aspiring young talents.
“There was a time when education was all about academics and what you can cram and what you can regurgitate and what you can do. Today we are changing that to be more experiential so that what you that we get more skills, more competences, and that is why 60 percent of our education is targeting stem subjects that will inform what these grate young leaders are talking about,” Ruto said, adding that the right competencies among the young people will allow them to participate meaningfully.
The summit which brought together over 30 African leaders dwelt on improving education outcomes, expanding technical and scientific training, strengthening innovation ecosystems and creating jobs for Africa’s rapidly growing youth population.
The session also saw the inauguration of a new Engineering and Science Complex at the university, developed through Kenya-France cooperation and described by the leaders as a transformative investment in Africa’s future workforce.
MG/abj/APA