Kigali, Rwanda 15 July 2016 - Africa must enormously invest in education if the human capital restraints that are besieging the continent are to be permanently addressed, H.E Erastus Mwencha the Deputy Chairperson of African Union Commission has said.

Mr. Mwecha was speaking while addressing the international and local media at a press conference organize in the sideline of the ongoing 27th AU Summit in Kigali capital Rwanda.

He said that at the African Union Commission, a milestone has been achieved in terms of facilitating the promotion of education and ensuring imparting skills among the African children which are a great path to elevate the economic growth and development.

“Lack of adequate skilled labor force in African is considered among the principal challenges hindering the continent’s economic growth however with the Africa Agenda 2063 if fully implemented the continent labor challenges could be addressed”, underlined the AUC Deputy Chairperson.

Mr. Mwencha mentioned that in order to curb the labor challenges, the African Union Commission has established the Pan African University (PAU) with the intentions of promoting science and technology which would enhance competitiveness among Africans at the international scene.

“The human resource gap we have is huge. We established the Pan African University to reduce this gap and we have already students graduating. We now want to focus on promoting e-learning which will help our continent to have an adequate human resource,” he said while responding to the journalists.

The Pan-African University (PAU) is a post-graduate training and research network of university nodes in five regions, supported by the African Union. The new Institution is also supported by the Association of African Universities.

The PAU aims to provide the opportunity for advanced graduate training and postgraduate research to high-performing African students. Objectives also include promoting mobility of students and teachers and harmonizing programs and degrees.

According to H.E Mwencha , the PAU will stimulate collaborative and internationally competitive research, and enhance the attractiveness of African higher education and research institutions.

Due to insufficient expertise, most countries in African end up importing experts from foreign countries outside the continent making it expensive for developing countries and this needs a clear strategy for countries in African to develop their own experts through providing an adequate education.

The Pan African University addresses five crucial thematic areas, through a network of five flagship institutes, namely Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation; Life and Earth Sciences including Health and Agriculture, Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences; Water and Energy Sciences including Climate Change; and Space Sciences.

Integration is a process

Asked whether the African Union was contented with the rate at which integration was moving, the AUC Deputy Chairperson noted that much still have to be done in order to deepen the integration; however, he added that a tremendous milestone had been achieved.

He noted that the continent had triumphed in some areas like coming up with a common passport for Africans that will facilitate the free movement of people across the continent. These Africa Union Pasport, he said, will be launched during the ongoing 27th AU Summit.

“Integration is a process,” he said adding “We are not satisfied …when you are fully integrated, it means one can freely move from one country to another without barriers caused by visa obligations. Therefore, we still have a long way to go but I know we are on the right track to achieve our objective,” said the AUC Chairperson as he concluded his press conference on a positive note.

Journalists wishing to interview the leadership of the AU Commission during the Summit should submit their requests to Mrs Esther Azaa Tankou, Ag. Director of Information and Communication of the AUC, via E-mail: YambouE@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com;
Tel: +250 789923794

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For further information:
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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