AIMS and ADEA Partner to Strengthen Inclusive Steam Higher Education in Africa

2 November 2015
Content from a Premium Partner
African Media Agency (New York)
press release

Addis Ababa — The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) today announced the beginning of a partnership for the promotion of appropriate education sector policies that support Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).

This partnership was cemented with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the margins of the African Union (AU) Specialized Technician Committee on Education, Science and Technology being held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and in presence of Hon Professor Mary Teuw Niane of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Republic of Senegal. Partner representatives from AAU, AfDB, Commonwealth Secretariat, Education International, FAWE, UNESCO and UNESCO-IICBA were also in attendance. This partnership constitutes a framework for strengthening collaboration between the two organizations, to better fulfill their missions at country and regional levels.

In a globalizing world, education models and their ability to produce innovators and leaders across all sectors is a critical imperative. For Africa in particular, the question is closely linked to the continent's ability to develop inclusively. The AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 name education, particularly in STEAM, as a key catalyst for sustainable development. This AIMS-ADEA partnership will support African countries in areas that include policy development and implementation of the integration of STEAM into teacher training and learning programs, skills development, public engagement, and research and innovation with the goal of transforming Africa through applied skills relevant for the continent's labour market and research developmental needs.

"Education training, research and innovation are key factors that will propel Africa's transformation. The collaboration between AIMS and ADEA will address policy issues with a focus on the Ministries of Education, Gender and other relevant ministries, to promote the integration of STEAM into the respective policy initiatives. We are especially determined to create an enabling environment that will encourage the engagement of women and girls", said Ms. Oley Dibba-Wadda, Executive Secretary of ADEA. Some specific areas of collaboration will include working with the ADEA Inter-Country Quality Node on Mathematics and Science Education (ICQN-MSE) for the purpose of providing strategy level support to relevant Ministries in Africa in leveraging inclusive higher education and STEAM.

"AIMS looks forward to working with ADEA in close collaboration to ensure the implementation of this partnership which we believe will lead to a climate for increased investment in science and innovation in Africa. We expect strong development outcomes that will impact higher education in Africa while contributing tangibly to SDGs. We are also happy to announce that ADEA will join the Next Einstein Forum (NEF), Africa's global forum for science, as a member," said Thierry Zomahoun, President and CEO of AIMS.

The NEF, an AIMS initiative in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, is a platform that will bring together leading thinkers in science, policy, industry and civil society in Africa to leverage science to solve global challenges. The first NEF Global Gathering will be held in Dakar, Senegal on 8th -10th March 2016 under the patronage of H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal.

Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of AIMS.

About AIMS

The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Next Einstein Initiative (AIMS-NEI) is a pan African network of centres of excellence for postgraduate training, research and outreach in mathematical sciences. AIMS' vision is to lead the transformation of Africa through innovative scientific training, technical advances and breakthrough discoveries which benefit the whole of society. Its mission is to enable Africa's brightest students to flourish as independent thinkers, problem solvers and innovators capable of propelling Africa's future scientific, educational and economic self-sufficiency.

AIMS recruits talented students from across Africa for an intensive one year taught Master's program and a three year PhD program (in some of its centers) in mathematical sciences.

About ADEA

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a forum for policy dialogue, composed of all the 54 Ministers of Education in Africa. Established in 1988 as a framework for better coordination among development agencies, ADEA is a pan-African institution built on a genuine partnership between African ministries of education and training and their technical and external partners. Since its inception, it has acted on processes that have had a profound impact on policy-making in Africa through evidence-based policy dialogue, capacity building, advocacy and networking. ADEA's work has expanded to focus more on the development of skills and competencies across all the education sub-sectors. It envisions a "high quality African education and training system that is geared towards the promotion of critical knowledge and skills for accelerated and sustainable development in Africa."

Media Contact

Mimi Kalinda

Director of Communications

AIMS Global Network

E: mkalinda@nexteinstein.org

T: +27726881250

Stefano De Cupis,

Senior Communication Officer

ADEA

E: s.decupis@afdb.org

T: +22520264261

Ms. Ramata Almamy Mbaye

External Relations and Strategic Partnerships Officer

ADEA

E: r.mbaye@afdb.org

T: +22520265559

Source: AIMS and ADEA

Tagged:

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.