MEDIA ADVISORY :                                                         

Venue: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia                                  

What: African Union CIEFFA 7^th High-Level Dialogue on Gender Equality in Education

Venue: Small Conference Hall 2, African Union Head Quarters

Theme: “Leveraging the AfCFTA to foster Girls and Women’s Education and Skill Development for Entrepreneurship Opportunities.”

When: February 14, 2023

Time: 9:00am – 2:00pm EAT/GMT +3

Speakers:

• H.E. Prof. Mohammed Belhocine, Commissioner, ESTI, AUC;
• AU Ministers of Education, TVETs and Gender from Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Namibia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Cameroon;
• H.E. Stian Christensen, Ambassador to the Norwegian Permanent Delegation to the AU;
• Dr Sihaka Tsemo, Director, UNAIDS Liaison Office to AU & ECA
• Developments Partners, education, and girls’ education advocates.

The African Union International Centre of Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa, with the Republic of Sierra Leone and UNAIDS, is jointly organising the 7^th edition of the High-Level Dialogue on Girls and Women’s Education in Africa.  The meeting brings together key stakeholders at continental and global levels to discuss ways of effectively using the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to improve and mainstream girl’s education in Africa.

The AfCFTA was launched at the 12^th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Governments in Niamey – Niger, in July 2019. The African leaders have declared 2023 the year of the AfCFTA. Since its creation in 2019, the Secretariat of the AfCFTA has been working to support the efforts of Members States to incorporate gender mainstreaming into AfCFTA national implementation strategies.

It is against this backdrop that, following the opening ceremony, discussions will be pinned around mainstreaming gender in National Policies of education as the implementation of the AfCFTA is being accelerated. Talks will equally center around skill development opportunities in Africa and a call for action.

Objectives

1. To share the experience of Member States on their existing policies promoting skills development and STEAM education within the Continental Campaign #AfricaEducatesHer;
2. To discuss how the successful implementation of the AfCFTA could advance gender parity in education and women’s economic empowerment in Africa.
3. To promote gender mainstreaming in the implementation of the AfCFTA national strategies.

African Union International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa

The International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) is a specialized institution of the African Union since 2004, dealing with women and girls’ education following Decision Assembly/AU/DEC.44 (III). AU/CIEFFA is a specialized institution of the African Union under the Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI). The Centre aims to promote girls’ and women’s education with a view towards their full participation in the eradication of poverty and the edification of a peaceful world for sustainable human development. http://cieffa.au.int

For further information please contact:

Azwe Success Barbara,Communications Officer | African Union International Center for Girls & Women’s Education in Africa | African Union Commission Tel: +226 25 37 61 55 | E-mail: BarbaraS@africa-union.org | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Ms. Faith Adhiambo, Communications Officer- Agenda 2063 Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission Tel: +251 115 517 700 | E-mail: ochiengj@african-union.org | Addis Ababa, EthiopiaInformation and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.orgWeb: www.au.int | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube