African Union Commission signs a memorandum of understanding on media and education for development Africa FORum (CAFOR)

The African Union(AU) and the Coalition on Media and Education for Development Africa Forum (CAFOR) signed on 18 January 2019 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to guide cooperation to enhance the integration of global SDGs and continental Agenda 2063 and its sectorial policy frameworks in education development, into country-level policy and implementation.

These frameworks include the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25), the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2024), and the Continental Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and training (TVET Continental Strategy) into country-level developmental and sectoral strategies for Africa’s development.

The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E. Mr. Kwesi Quartey said one of the dreams and vision of the African Union is to have every child in school by the year 2020.

Noting that Africa has the most significant number of young people, and given that this preponderance can either become a crisis or an opportunity, he said education becomes a vital tool to advance Africa’s development efforts to create a prosperous, peaceful, integrated and happy and productive Africa. He stated that Education develops human capital.

The Deputy Chairperson emphasized the gender dimension to education and added that education is essential for peace, which comes when people are better informed and educated.

“We need to have a literate and numerate Africa, an Africa that is imbibed in science and technology for development.”

The occasion was graced by the attendance of Ambassadors accredited to the African Union and to Ethiopia, UN Representatives, members of CAFOR based in Ethiopia, CAFOR’s Executive Director, staff members of AUC departments and other prominent personalities from the AU Commission.

Original source: African Union
Published on 18 January 2019