Even though the Erasmus+ Days have wrapped up, there is still more to celebrate! This week on the 23 and 24 October, the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships, along with the Delegation of the European Union to Benin, will host an exciting event in Cotonou, Benin, focused on “Innovation in West Africa: EU-Africa Collaboration in Higher Education”.
This two-day event will spotlight on the joint priorities and achievements of European and Western African programmes on higher education systems, learning mobility and innovation. Together, attendees will engage in discussions about the key factors that strengthen partnerships between the regions and explore ways to attract investments in education, enhancing its significance throughout the region.
During the two days, we will explore the impact and potential of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy on common goals, such as Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Participants will collaborate to find strategies to best support universities in the region, to overcome common challenges and to create graduates with relevant skills for the job market.
The event also aims to promote Africa as a study destination of choice, and to attract more learners to study in one of the countries of West Africa. Universities are the agents of positive change worldwide, and we will explore how we can better connect universities to regional non-academic partners.
This event will also strengthen the strategic ties between West Africa and the EU, focusing on higher education and skills development. Discussions will centre on supporting learning mobility and innovation and addressing the pressing need for investment in young people’s human capital. It will address the challenges of and need for investment in human capital of young people while boosting their employability through forward-looking skills building. fostering the conditions needed for academic and labour market mobility and public-private partnerships as well as promotion of inclusion, participation, and consideration of young people as active members of societies in Africa and in Europe.
We expect around 80 representatives from the African Union and the European Union institutions, including representatives from higher education, research and innovation sectors, university networks, professional associations, youth, students and alumni associations, private sector, industries and chambers of commerce.
Want to join the conversation? Click on the link below to connect online to the session on EU programmes in higher education, and you might even find a program that’s right for you!