Africa seeks partnership in education

Accra (Greater Accra), 18th May ?99 ?

African officials and academicians attending the Fifth African-African American Summit on Monday pressed for wider partnership with the United States in Africa's educational reforms.

At a separate session on education, the Africans said they would want to "strengthen their partnership with the US to promote education in Africa".

The session, which revolved on the theme, "education: the human dimension of technology and globalisation for the 21st century", engaged participants throughout the day after which some inroads were made by the Africans.

"Poverty continues to be Africa's number one enemy to quality education. "...Americans, especially African Americans are welcome to support and participate in any aspect of the continent's education, but in particular, in investment of capital technology and skills for educational institutions", Mr Ewkow Spio-Garbrah, Minister of Education said to set the tone of the session.

Africa, he said, is now committed more than ever to do everything possible to promote quality education in order to meet the challenges of the next millennium.

"This comes amidst the global recognition that the survival and sustainable development of countries in the next millennium would be based not on natural resources, but on the quality of human resource development."

Therefore, Mr Spio-Garbrah said, Africa's major pre-occupation is focused on human resource development capable of promoting advancement in technology and human skills.

He said Africa's only hope for survival in the next century rests on quality education for its citizens to help reduce hunger and economic deprivation.

"The globalisation of markets and economies should offer Africa the opportunity to leapfrog into the future."

This, Mr Spio-Garbrah said, could be done through strong partnership between stakeholders in the sector, including parents, students, traditional councils, local communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and development partners, as well as the private sector.

According to him, Africa needs to set aside between 20 and 25 per cent of its national budget to fund education.

"But governments can share some of these responsibilities with other stakeholders", Mr Spio-Garbrah told the African partners.

The education session is a top priority of the week-long Summit, which has registered about 5,000 delegates from around the world.

The biennial Summit, a brainchild of Reverend Leon Sullivan, an African American, was first held in Abidjan in 1991.

This fifth gathering said, to be the largest, would reach its climax on Wednesday, when 12 Heads of State would meet on the future of Africa.