March 31, 2022
African and European Union (AU-EU) to Promote Digital Transformation of Higher Education
T The need of the hour – to promote digital cooperation in order to develop skilled human resources, to support digital innovation and entrepreneurship for more job creation, is exactly what the African and European unions are talking about.
At the first Africa-Europe Digital for Development (D4D) Hub Multi-Stakeholder Forum, under the theme ‘Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development in Africa’, the AU and EU announced their new partnership for digital transformation. The forum was co-hosted by the African Union Commission and the European Commission.
…the EU will include vulnerable groups, women and girls, in digital skills training and entrepreneurship initiatives. It is essential to tackle the digital divide, recognise its existence and address it through targeted measures…
The partnership was created in order to support African institutions in creating the right environment that will work towards digital transformation. Providing demand-driven technical assistance, knowledge sharing and facilitating dialogues are going to be a big feature of this partnership. Also, the EU is getting ready to scale up investments, support innovation and bridge the existing digital divide. “In order to ensure that the digital transformation of African universities translates into sustainable development on the entire continent, the EU will include vulnerable groups, women and girls, in digital skills training and entrepreneurship initiatives. It is essential to tackle the digital divide, recognise its existence and address it through targeted measures,” said Ana Pisonero Hernandez, a European Commission spokesperson.
Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, an AU commissioner for infrastructure and energy said, “The African Union welcomes the enhanced partnership with the European Union that is based on respect, transparency, equal opportunity, [a]win-win approach and agreed tangible outcome and further engagement with African and European stakeholders to accelerate the digital transformation of our continent.” How does it work with African universities? Many African universities are already a part of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) in order to ensure high-speed and stable connectivity at an affordable price. The forum will definitely help increase capacity in African universities. This partnership also means now European institutions can help meet African research and development needs and help African innovation get a global stage.
“African higher education and universities can play an important role in digital transformation by developing specific BSc, MSc and PhD programmes in cooperation with European partners,” said Henk Sol, emeritus professor of business and ICT and founding dean of the faculty of economics and business, University of Groningen in Netherlands.
Posted in News and tagged News, EU, AU, Higher Education, Digital Transformation, Africa
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