Developing Countries Meet, Partner On Educational Skills

Ministers from developing countries have gathered to seek ways to improve technical education in their respective countries.

The meeting is expected to bring Ministers from Ethiopia, Guinea, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania together in order to seek ways of tackling one of Africa’s greatest challenges—meeting today’s rising demand for cutting-edge, market-relevant skills in a number of rapidly expanding industries.



According to Director for Human Development in Africa at the World Bank, Ritva Reinikka, Africa is rising and inorder to realize its prospect, “the continent needs to invest in skills and higher education, especially science and technology.

“Higher education needs to be much more responsive to the needs of the private sector and I think that a partnership with emerging countries is a step in the right direction.”

The high-level workshop with the theme ”Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology in Africa” which begins Monday in Addis Ababa is a collaboration between the World Bank and the Government of Ethiopia.

The workshop is also expected draw a wide range of experts from Brazil, China, India and Korea.

Shobha Ghosh, Senior Director, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce, Shobha Ghosh noted that the continent can leverage the experience of India, particularly in engineering, science and technology.

“The Indian private education sector would be willing to participate in this partnership provided that there is a conducive regulatory environment that makes investment in education a financially viable proposition,” he said.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Ato Demeke Mekonnen, said “Out of this workshop, I hope we can come up with some very strong and practical recommendations to strengthen the collaboration between partner countries and African countries to strengthen the contributions of technical and higher education institutions in the economic development of our nations.”

The World Bank has carried out intensive consultations with several African countries on the proposed partnership with selected emerging economies who are already directly contributing to African’s development as investors.