On the 22nd of June 2018, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the African Union - International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education (AU/CIEFFA) held a Breakfast Meeting, as a Side Event on the margins of the 31st AU Summit of the AU. The meeting gathered Members of the Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) as well as development partners, advocates on the fight against corruption, AUC Departments and AU Organs, such as the African Anti-Corruption Board.

This year has been declared the "Year of combatting corruption, a sustainable path to Africa’s transformation’’, a theme that has succeeded the one of 2017 on ‘’Investing in youth to reap the demographic dividend’’. These two themes provide a backdrop to AU/CIEFFA to firmly address the necessity of improving girls and women education in the continent. This meeting thus linked the concepts of “educating girls and women”, “corruption in teaching and learning environments” and “reaping the Demographic Dividend”. The breakfast meeting has provided a platform to discuss on the theme of the year 2018, its link and negative impacts on education in general, girls’ education in particular.

Prof Sarah Anyang Agbor, the Commissioner of HRST on behalf of His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AUC opened the meeting after welcoming PRC members and experts attending the meeting. She expressed gratitude to the partners and keys stakeholders for supporting girls and women education in Africa. Nigeria in its capacity of Chair of the AU theme of the year 2018 also delivered a speech at the opening on various achievements under the theme

Mr Quentin Wodon from the World Bank presented an overview of ‘’Petty Corruption’ in Africa highlighting how petty corruption in education affects girls’ education. Mr Albert R. Kavatiri, from Transparency International-Rwanda in his presentation on corruption outlined the gender dimension of corruption and the way it affects men and women in different manners.

The two presentations were followed by a panel discussion, chaired by the representative of Niger. Experts on corruption, the AU Advisory Board on Corruption and partners. The panelists discussed on the presentations and responded to several questions from the audience for further clarifications.

AU/CIEFFA also presented during the event a collection of poems from the poetry competition previously organized with schools during the celebration of Africa Day 2018 in Ouagadougou, in line with the AU Theme on fighting Corruption.

The meeting ended with a recommendation to undertake a deeper study of the theme, as contribution AU/CIEFFA’s to the fight against corruption and to submit the findings at the upcoming High Level meeting on the theme of the year, to be held in Benin, in November and organised by the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption.

For further information:
- Ms. Simone Yankey-Ouattara | AU International Center for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa (AU CIEFFA)| E-mail: yankey-ouattaras@africa-union.org

- www.cieffa.org + 226 25 37 64 96 / 25 37 61 55.
- Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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