Lilongwe, Malawi: From 16 to 17 October 2018, an AU delegation undertook an assessment mission in prelude to the Summit of the Ten Heads of State championing Education, Science and Technology (C10) scheduled to take place from 2 to 3 November 2018 in Lilongwe, Malawi. The aim of the assessment mission was to assess the preparedness of the host government of Malawi to host the Summit, and agree on minimum requirements to ensure success, as enshrined in a formal Hosting Agreement.

The Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government championing Education, Science and Technology in Africa was endorsed by the African Union Assembly of January 2018 and held its inaugural meeting in Addis Ababa on 27 January 2018. The Committee of Ten has since adopted its rules of procedure, and agreed to hold its first Extra-Ordinary Summit to be hosted by the Government of the Republic of Malawi. The Committee of Ten is Co-ordinated by the Republic of Senegal President Macky Sall. The other members are Kenya, Mauritius, Malawi, Namibia, Chad, Gabon, Tunisia, Egypt and Sierra Leone.

The assessment mission to Malawi was preceded by a preparatory meeting hosted by by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Senegal to facilitate the preparation of the Summit. The Summit will be heralded by a meeting of the Bureau of the Specialized Technical Committee for Education, Science and Technology, together with the Ministers responsible for Education, Science and Technology in the C10 Member States.

The AU Delegation in the assessment mission, led by Dr. Njenga Beatrice, Head of Education Division included the following Directorates: Protocol represented at its highest level by Mrs. Simone Abala, Director of Protocol; Conference and Security; Legal Counsel; Conference Services and Publishing; and Office of the Secretary General. Apart from the Head of Division, three Staff from the HRST Department also took part.
The assessment team was well received on arrival in Lilongwe on Monday 15 September 2018, a Delegation of Malawi represented by Mrs. Rose Kalizang’oma from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Focal point of the C10 file; and Dr. Auguste Ngomo, AU Representative for Southern African Region (SARO) who thereafter joined the Members of the AU Delegation in working sessions. Co-Chairing the meetings were Acting Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Veronica Chidothe for Malawi, and the AUC Head of Education Division. The Malawi Permanent Secretary for Education, Mr. Justin Saidi also attended the key sessions.
The first part of the mission was discussing and assessing various conference facilities, as well as facilities for holding an exhibition on innovations in education, science and technology. The second part consisted of discussions around the finalization of the Hosting Agreement.

From the detailed presentation by the Malawi Government, preparations are well underway, and all elements have been taken into account. A report on the preparations and the discussions on the Hosting Agreement will be presented to the AU Commission for a final decisions.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission IMrs Esther Tankou Azaa | Head of Information Division | Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: YambouE@africa-union.org | and Chancelle Bilampassi Moutsatsi BilampassiC@africa-union.orgI Web: www.au.int | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia.

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