White Paper Outlines on Higher Education Cooperation Between Africa and Europe
Brussels, Belgium
Higher education organisations in Africa and Europe have published a White Paper outlining series of recommendations for strengthening higher education cooperation between the two continents in response to global challenges and developing Africa.
The Access to Success- Fostering Trust and Exchange Between Europe and Africa report by the European University Association and Association of African Universities was launched at the Belgium Senate with an event gathering stakeholders in education and development from Africa and Europe.
Based on findings of a two-year project by the consortium, the publication outlines key issues relating to future cooperation between the two continents in higher education with need to develop more sustainable and efficient university partnerships at this time when universities are prioritising partnership in response to societal and economic demands.
The European Commission sponsored project brought together policy makers, donors and university leaders to address institutional development and to transcend boundaries between research, education, development policies and programmes.
Following its recommendations, the paper called for governments to prioritise higher education as part of their development strategies and also to develop concrete measures on mitigation with brain drain.
It also demanded for development of more innovative partnerships between universities in both continents and also encourage intra African collaborations as part of strategies to mitigate brain drain, with promotion from development agencies.
These recommendations are set to be discussed in the upcoming 3rd Africa-EU Summit in November in Libya, as part of the various initiatives launched by the partnership.
Africa is deemed to have the least literacy levels in the world with almost half of school-age children receiving no schooling due to cultural issues and gender inequalities. Poor educational facilities has been due to lack of effective policies and political instabilities.
Khartoum, Sudan
Voter Registration to be Delayed
Voter registration in south Sudan for the January Referendum on secession has been delayed until November over logistical issues, with less than 100 days remaining ahead of the polls.
Chairman of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission Ibrahim Khalil said voter registration will be delayed by three weeks until 15 November due to delay in arrival of registration forms from printers in South Africa.
Former Tanzanian leader Benjamin Mkapa who was appointed to oversee the exercise told the BBC of many challenges that lie ahead, but said the timetable would be met if all parties were willing.
Mkapa was picked last week by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to head the monitoring panel on the January polls.
The referendum on south's independence was part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 that ended the 2 decade north-south conflict in which over 1.5 million people died and several displaced.
A senior member of ruling NCP party told reporters earlier this week that they might not recognise the referendum results if the south's SPLM would not withdraw its troops from disputed areas and allow free campaigning ahead of the polls.
The south has accused the north of trying to disrupt the vote as ways of holding on to the region's vast oil deposits. International observers continue to arrive in the country as analysts warn of a new spate of clashes would the exercise be delayed.