EAC to organize the second edition of the East African Higher Education  Forum

The Inter University Council of East Africa (IUCEA), East African Business Council (EABC), East African Development Bank (EADB) and the East African Community (EAC) are jointly organizing the second edition of the East African Higher Education Forum 2013 slated for 24^th – 26^th October 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Themed: “Bridging the Academia and the Private Sector through Engagement with the Public Sector”, the Forum will bring together higher education managers, researchers, the business community, and policy makers from EAC Partner States to deliberate on the role of universities in fostering regional integration and the development of knowledge-based economies in the East African Community, through forging linkages with the business community.

The main objective of the Forum is to provide a convergence platform for higher education, the business community and the public sector to discuss and strategize on how to develop effective higher education systems in East Africa that would be linked to industry, for the promotion of sustainable socio-economic development and East Africa’s regional integration.

The Forum is expected to establish collaboration between universities and the business community for the region’s sustainable socio-economic development through enhanced industrial performance and investments in higher education and promoting the development of skills and competence-based curricula, building consensus on developing a common higher education area for East Africa, mainstreaming the relevance of university-generated knowledge and human resources for the well being of the general society, and strengthening excellence of universities by developing strategically focused curricula and research.

Relevant institutions in the EAC Partner States, EAC Secretariat, Heads of Higher Education Institutions, national commissions and councils for higher education, and national commissions and councils for science and technology in the Partner States, international organizations, NGOs, academicians, students, and private individuals are expected to attend.

As part of the Forum events, students, academic staff in universities, research institutions as well as the private sector in the region will exhibit their brilliant ideas in business development and strategic innovations. Exhibitors will also show case the practical aspects of their operations, products and achievements as a way of promoting and enhancing academia and private sector partnerships.

The First edition of the East African Higher Education Forum was held 24th – 26th October 2012 in Arusha, Tanzania. At the end of this Forum, resolutions focused on consolidating the IUCEA and EABC partnership by providing sustainability mechanisms. In this regard, EABC and IUCEA developed a medium term plan of action to guide implementation of the resolutions and recommendations, to be undertaken under the auspices of EAC.

Among the items in the plan of action agreed upon was to organize a regional academia and private sector partnership forum and exhibitions on an annual basis, on rotation among the EAC Partner States.