Record number of ministers to attend Innovation Africa Summit in Botswana this October

Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi - Botswana Ministry of Education & Skills Development

Preparations continue for one of the most eagerly anticipated summits to take place in sub-Saharan Africa this year. Innovation Africa 2013, being held at the Gaborone International Convention Centre in Botswana this October 15-17, will be hosting a record number of ministers and officials from various ministries of education, ICT and science & technology from all over Africa for one-to-one meetings with industry leaders.

According to the organisers, AfricanBrains - part of The Brains Network - the purpose of the summit is to connect industry to government & civil society and carry on the need and opportunity for greater public private partnership in education, science and research in sub-Saharan Africa. Central to the success of the event is the participation of the private sector committing to investing in ICT, science and research. Such investment should be directed to ensure that the output of education matches the input requirements of industry and the labour market. This is a multi-stakeholder process and Innovation Africa is a central pillar in bringing together the key decision-makers from both government and industry.

Botswana

The summit is being held under the Patronage of The Botswana Ministry of Education & Skills Development and will feature a welcome address by Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.

John Glassey - MD, AfricanBrains

When asked what benefits Botswana will realise as the host country, Managing Director of AfricanBrains, John Glassey, said, "As well as being of regional significance the event will demonstrate Botswana as the ideal host country and that the Botswana Ministry of Education & Skills Development is an innovator in education and a leader in attracting and determining public-private sector partnerships. Innovation Africa now has a many established global partners including HP, Oracle, Intel, IBM and Microsoft."

He continued, "They will all be present to meet with ministers and officials and have the opportunity to further look at the potential of Botswana which now has an established Education Hub and is developing an Innovation Hub in conjunction with a technology park in Gaborone. This is a great opportunity to further attract foreign direct investment into Botswana especially in the ICT and science sectors. Botswana in turn, has the opportunity to leverage such investor interest by being a technology hub for the region, advancing vocational development for young Botswana while also attracting international skills."

Focus

Innovation Africa is a meetings-based event for ministers and captains of industry to engage in discussions. The event will incorporate (with 30 ministries and 200 investors) over 700 simultaneous private meetings during the two afternoons which is set against a backdrop of morning Q&A sessions where all participating ministers and deputies for education and ICT in sub-Sahara Africa take part in panel discussions that will tackle a number of key topics, including:

• ICT for Education, Technologies, Standards, E-Learning & M-Learning
  
• Curriculum Development & Teacher Training
  
• Communications Infrastructure, Broadband and Last Mile Connectivity
  
• Vocational Skills & Reforming Higher Education
  
• Rural Educational Development, Special Needs & Community Access
  
• Early Learning & Innovative Teaching Models
  
• Science, Mathematics, Engineering & Technology
  
• University Research, African Digital Content, Libraries & Learning Resources
  
• Technology Innovation Hubs, Digital Media & Knowledge Economy

Ministries

AfricanBrains has been working closely with Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi and her team to maximise the number of participating ministers and officials from across the continent which in turn will further attract more industry investors to participate. To date, Innovation Africa 2013 has confirmation of ministerial participation from the following countries: Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe with more to follow.

For more information on this land-mark event please visit www.innovation-africa.com.

To register your interest in attending please complete the contact form at www.innovation-africa.com/2013/register or email gro.sniarbnacirfa@stneve.