East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th July,2023: Africans have been called upon to develop Kiswahili and other African languages to make them globally competitive.
Delivering the keynote address during the official opening session of the 2nd EAC World Kiswahili Language Day celebrations in Kampala, Uganda, Kiswahili language scholar and University of Dar es Salaam academic Prof. Fikeni E. M. K. Senkoro further said that languages have become commodities on the global stage.
Prof. Senkoro said that there is an urgent need to develop Kiswahili and other languages to make them marketable in people’s daily lives and business transactions.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 5th July,2023: Ugandans have been called upon to learn and Kiswahili as part of efforts to promote regional integration and economic growth in East Africa.
Making the call, Uganda’s 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community (EAC) Affairs, Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, was a widely spoken language that could be utilised to unite not just East Africa but the entire African continent, adding that Ugandans should therefore embrace it as an African language.
Hon. Kadaga said that Kiswahili had earned a bad reputation partly because it was used in pre-colonial times by slave traders from the East African Coast.
Kigali, 27th June 2023, The 14th IUCEA Annual Meeting & Conference has emphasised the need for universities to embrace new technologies to enhance teaching and learning. The conference convened to discuss the Future of Higher Education in the Age of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence explored the potential of data-driven decision making and AI in higher education while addressing the challenges and opportunities they present.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 25th April, 2023: The East African Community (EAC) has developed and adopted seven strategic education plans as part of efforts to facilitate the quick integration of the education sector in East Africa.
EAC Secretary General, Hon. (Dr.) Peter Mathuki, stated that the strategic plans are at the basic and tertiary levels of education, namely: Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary, Teacher Education, TVET, Continuing and Non-Formal Education, and Special Needs Education.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 16th March, 2023: Academic institutions and private sector companies in the East African Community (EAC) have been urged to develop strong partnerships to produce graduates with skills to succeed in employment.
Speaking at the 12th Academia-Public-Private Partnership Forum (APPPF) and Exhibition held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the Chief Guest, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Prof. Adolf Faustine Mkenda, urged educational institutions, and the private sector to work together to produce market-driven programmes that are responsive to the dynamic needs of the labour market and train graduates that are relevant for the socio-economic development of the region.
Dr. Irene C. Isaka, the Director Social Sectors at the EAC Secretariat, representing the EAC Secretary General, urged academic institutions to work with the private sector to develop curricula that is in tandem with the requirements of the labour market.
“I would like to encourage you to continue to work together to constantly review and adapt your curricula to remain in tandem with the current development agenda of the region, and requirements of the labour market,” Dr Isaka said.
The IUCEA Executive Secretary, Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona, observed that skills required to succeed in employment are constantly evolving which necessitates close collaboration between the private sector and higher education institutions to keep pace with the changes demands in the world of work.
“The reality of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning demonstrates the need to continuously revise and alter our training to develop learners that are able to adapt to the changing demands in employment. Some of the skills learnt today in our various learning ecosystems become outdated even before students graduate. Therefore, it is only through strong partnerships between academia and the private sector that we shall be able to identify skills required for future success in the job market,” said Prof. Banyankimbona.
Mr. Johannes Sperrfechter, BMZ Representative and Head of Regional Development Cooperation at German Embassy, on behalf of the Ambassador, Dr Regine Hess, disclosed that the German Government had committed 2.5m Euros additional funds to the dSkills@EA project to strengthen its support and initiatives in the Master Programme, digital skills trainings and entrepreneurship support.
Amb. Hess said that IUCEAA and GIZ will sign their implementation agreement on Friday at the conference.
The Chief Executive Officer of the East African Business Council (EABC), Mr John Bosco Kalisa said to achieve greater productivity, countries must focus on demand-driven technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship, and business training programmes tied to sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.
"Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines require special attention focusing on the transfer and adoption of technology," said Mr. Kalisa.
The APPPF is a biennial forum that brings together universities, technical and vocational colleges, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and private sector to deliberate on how to foster joint dialogue and enhance the linkage between the private sector and higher education institutions, as well as government institutions. This year’s forum was organised by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) in partnership with the German Cooperation, through GIZ, the East African Business Council (EABC) and Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU).
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Godwin Bonge Muhwezi, Communication Officer Inter University Council Tel: 256 414 256 251/2 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.iucea.org
Anthony Taiti Head of Corporate Affairs Pan African University Tel: +254730955555 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. About Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA)
Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is an institution of the East African Community (EAC) responsible for development and coordination of higher education and research in the region. IUCEA members include accredited public and private universities, commissions and councils responsible for Higher education in EAC Partner States.
For more information, please visit theIUCEA website.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 15th December, 2022: The Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), Hon. Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki has said that the recently EAC Council of Ministers approved regional bioeconomy strategy will be a key factor to promoting food security and sustainable agriculture in the region.
Dr. Mathuki said that the bioeconomy strategy – the first of its kind in Africa and the second in the world after that of the European Union – willincrease opportunities for the EAC Partner States to deepen their cooperation in developing a sustainable and resilient bioeconomy.
“Through the strategy, EAC Partner States will scale-up their bio-innovations, share scientific knowledge, and harmonise policies, standards, and regulations for bio-manufacturing and regional trade,” said Dr. Mathuki.
Bujumbura, Burundi, 10th July, 2022 : The 13th General Assembly of Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) has elected new members of the IUCEA Governing Board and Prof. Calixte Kabera, Vice Chancellor, East African University, Republic of Rwanda as the Chairperson, for two years (2022-2024).
The General Assembly, which is the highest policy making organ of IUCEA, is comprised of Vice Chancellors and Principals from Member Universities, representatives of Ministries responsible for Higher Education and representatives of the Private Sector from EAC Partner States.
Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, Arusha, Tanzania, 7th July, 2022:Maelfu ya wazungumzaji wa lugha ya Kiswahili toka Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki wamewaomba wakuu wa nchi za Jumuiya, kuongeza jitihada za kuiimarisha lugha ya Kiswahili na kubuni mbinu bora za kukuza na kuiendeleza lugha hii.
Wito huo ulikaribishwa na Rais wa Zanzibar na Mwenyekiti wa Baraza la Mapinduzi, Zanzibar, Mhe. Dkt Hussein Ali Mwinyi, aliyekuwa mgeni wa rasmi katika hafla ya kuadhimisha Siku ya Lugha ya Kiswahili Duniani, iliyofika kilele chake leo, tarehe 7 Julai, 2022, Zanzibar.
East African Science and Technology Commission, 07th July, 2022: The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) organized a five-day virtual training workshop “Entrepreneurship Skills Training for Creativity and Job Creation” targeting university students in East Africa.
The training was conducted virtually using the EASTECO customized FLOOR platform from Monday, 27th June to Friday, 1st July, 2022.
