Kenya will host the AGRF 2021 Summit, which this year will focus on the bold actions needed for agriculture to fuel the continent’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and continued food systems transformation. The four-day Summit will take place from September 7 until 10 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Speaking during a courtesy call to Uhuru Kenyatta, President, Republic of Kenya, Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Ethiopia Prime Minister and AGRF Board Chair, applauded the Kenyan Government for making agriculture a priority, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s inspiring to see the progress Kenya has made in agriculture, this is the kind of visionary leadership that the continent needs to end hunger and malnutrition and for our continent’s shared prosperity,” Hailemariam Dessalegn said.
This year the Summit is expected to host over 10,000 delegates virtually with a scaled-down physical event in Nairobi.
Kenya to host the AGRF 2021 Summit
Skills Development, Education and PPPs Key for Successful Job Creation in Africa
The Economic Commission for Africa and NKC African Economics (an Oxford Economics company) launched a joint report on “Best Practices in Job Creation, lessons from Africa.”
“This report is the first result of the collaboration between the ECA Office for North Africa and NKC African economics. Through this document, we are sharing successful job creation policies with the hope that they will provide insights and learning for other countries across the region”, said Amal Elbeshbishi, Economic Affairs Officer in charge of employment at the ECA Office for North Africa.
This new report reveals that “a focus on skills development and education not only improves employability, but also provides the youth with the tools needed to be successful in entrepreneurship endeavours. Meanwhile, fiscal pressures have intensified following the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will become increasingly imperative [for governments] to partner with the private sector to implement employment creation initiatives”, according to Cobus de Hart, Head of Consulting at NKC African Economics.
Gates Foundation Commits $2.1 Billion to Advance Gender Equality Globally
As part of the Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced a commitment of $2.1 billion over the next five years to advance women’s economic empowerment, strengthen women and girls’ health and family planning, and accelerate women’s leadership.
The forum takes place in Paris from June 30 to July 2, 2021, bringing together governments, the private sector, and civil society partners to commit to specific actions and announce financial, political, and programmatic commitments that will accelerate gender equality and advance women’s rights. Not since the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, when 47,000 participants and activists traveled to Beijing, has the world come together to take ambitious action that will have a transformational impact for women and girls.
“The world has been fighting for gender equality for decades, but progress has been slow. Now is the chance to reignite a movement and deliver real change,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “The beauty of our fight for gender equality is that every human being will gain from it. We must seize this moment to build a better, more equal future.”
With return to peace, Somali children look to the future with hope
Thirteen-year-old Ahmed Abdinur Abukar dreams of being a teacher. This year, in May, he took an important step towards realising that dream and sat for the national Primary Education Certificate examinations in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education says over 60 000 students across the country sat for their end of year national examinations for primary and secondary school in May and June, a continuation of a positive trajectory in the education sector thanks to the return of relative peace and security after years of war, turmoil and ruin. The improved security continues to remarkably increase student enrollment in school. So, too, an improvement in the quality of education.
The Federal Government of Somalia has invested heavily in education. In the 2021 budget, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education was allocated US$10.5 million most of which, according to education officials, has gone into the rehabilitation and construction of schools and offices to accommodate the huge number of school enrolment since the government introduced free primary and secondary school education.
