Africa-Europe Science and Innovation Summit

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) presents new opportunities for developing nations to fully participate and compete in a global digital economy. The Covid-19 pandemic has, however, accelerated this transition into a digital world forcing economic sectors to adapt conventional methods by providing digital solutions. This digitisation has been seen across sectors ranging from education and training, health, manufacturing and many more, while in parallel supporting the possibility of achieving global sustainability goals through this advanced digitisation. To respond to the rapid digitisation of many sectors, regional policies within Africa and the EU have been formulated to take on the skills revolution required by the 4IR, especially in a post-Covid recovery world.

The African continent requires a skills agenda that empowers its growing youth population at all levels of eduction to address the consistent unemployment challenges facing the continent. The skills agenda has become a priority in regional economic recovery strategies for the continent given the increased youth unemployment due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The opportunities presented by new and emerging skills needed for the 4IR, represents an opportunity for African youth to actively participate in a knowledge economy in creating jobs of the future, which can allow Africa to fully participate in the global digital economy.

This session will be hosted in celebration of Africa’s youth as part of South Africa’s Youth Day on 16 June. The session will showcase existing Africa-EU partnerships in emerging skills development areas in sectors of astronomy, agriculture, manufacturing and health, as well as overarching skills that are multidisciplinary. We will also explore the empowerment of Africa’s youth through training programmes offering widespread digitisation skills in developing a digital society on the continent. Through the discussions, we intend to identify Africa-EU partnerships that can advance Africa’s transition into the 4IR by equipping its youth with skills that are relevant in building a more prosperous and thriving Africa of the future.