Ethiopia

Ruto to address education, climate challenges at AU summit in Addis Ababa

President William Ruto at a past event. (X/ William Ruto)

By Lucy Mumbi | Friday, February 16, 2024

The 37th Summit will run from February 17 to February 18, 2024.

President William Ruto will address several pressing issues facing the continent's education sector and the climate crisis at the African Union Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In a statement released on Friday by State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, Ruto is expected to highlight the challenges in the education sector, noting that approximately 98 million children in Africa lack access to schooling.

Keep reading

The president will depart the country on Friday to attend the event themed “Building Resilient Education Systems for Africa's 21st-century Human Capital”.

The 37th Summit will run from February 17 to February 18, 2024.

As the chair of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), he will also present a report on Africa's efforts to mitigate the climate crisis.

Ruto’s discussions will also dwell on the Nairobi Declaration which is a significant outcome of the inaugural Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi last September.

“The document is Africa's authoritative blueprint for addressing the climate change crisis and proposes reform of the global financial system as well as the Multilateral Development Banks,” reads the statement.

In addition, Ruto will also participate in a Mini-East African Community Summit, focusing on regional concerns such as the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Further, the Head of State will engage in bilateral meetings with fellow heads of state, leaders of international organizations, and key business figures.

The Summit is poised to be a critical platform for deliberating on key issues affecting the continent and fostering collaboration among African leaders to address pressing challenges.

AU said the event will bring together the Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government (C10) dedicated to education, science, and technology, along with executives from UN agencies, institutional partners, NGOs, bilateral partners, representatives from Regional Economic Communities, embassies of the Pan African University host countries, and Ethiopia’s Ministers of education and science and technology, alongside youth and media representatives.

The Union noted that the focus on education for the year underscores a strategic moment for in-depth discussions on enhancing access to quality education across Africa, advocating for increased investments and the formulation of effective policies.

“This initiative is particularly crucial as Africa faces the most significant challenges globally, with the lowest educational attainment levels,” it said.