What is the focus of the East Africa Convening?
The focus of this East Africa Regional Hub Convening is that of addressing issues around Accelerating Entrepreneurship and Graduate Employability for Regional Development. This being a region-specific Annual Convening, the forum will therefore be more targeted and relevant to the needs of the East African region.
Why is that the chosen focus?
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are charged with the responsibility of developing and growing human capital with all the necessary knowledge, skills and values necessary to drive all sectors of development.
At the same time, Africa’s population continues to grow rapidly, with projections indicating that by 2050, 50% of the population will be youthful. As such we need to come up with relevant and meaningful solutions in tandem with the growing population, its consequences and subsequent emerging needs.
There must therefore be some concerted effort and the Annual Convening offers a platform on which meaningful discussions will be held in order to find relevant solutions.
What should the participants expect?
Participants will get to know who we are, why we exist and as an EA Regional Hub what our strategic direction is. In a nutshell, The East Africa Convening provides a platform to engage additional Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Regulators and Policy Makers on the Goals and Strategy of the region. Also, to share Employability and Career models and outcomes of employability initiatives ongoing among EduCollab HEIs in the region.
New member institutions will therefore get to understand how they can practically engage with existing Member institutions. This will result in the scaling up of the Systems Change Program for Employability (SCP – E) through in-depth institutional mentorship across member institutions and other EA HEIs.
What are your expectations for the future as institutions within the regional hub continue to deepen collaborations?
As we continue to transform our students and improve student outcomes, the number of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders who create jobs, transform industries, and lead economies on the continent will grow.
How can institutions join the East Africa Hub to support the cause?
HEIs can join the EA Hub as part of the “Open Network” or as part of the “Member Consortium”.
At the Education Collaborative, we seek to build a consortium of institutions formed for the purpose of improved and expanded collaboration of Higher Education and stakeholder institutions to achieve mutually beneficial goals and improved outcomes in Africa. Contributing members commit to the following:
- Contribute their expertise and experience in building exemplar systems that have achieved sustained quality outcomes and impact.
- Benefit from other institutions’ contributed expertise and experience in building exemplar systems that have achieved sustained quality outcomes and impact.
- Building sustainability through the development, sharing, and growth of resources for the higher education sector in Africa.
————
Register for the convening here. For more information about the upcoming convening and the East Africa hub, contact education.collaborative@ashesi.edu.gh.
