The inaugural meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Education, Science and Technology (STC-EST) took place Oct. 27 to Oct. 30 at the AU Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The meeting brought together experts from the fields of education, science and technology as well as ministers and development partners. Highlights of the four-day session were a Pan-African Conference on teacher development and a TVET exhibition.
The keynote speaker for the meeting of ministers was Calestous Juma, professor of the Practice of International Development at the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He spoke on the importance of long-term institutional reforms that will make Africa a contender in the global economy.
The event concluded with a meeting of ministers, during which Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga, commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, explained the benefits of a merger of sectors from the fields of education, science and technology. He said this move was in keeping with Agenda 2063 and urged officials to use their own resources to keep efforts sustainable and create a sense of ownership.
