KIGALI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Higher quality education should be at the center of Africa's ambitions to rise, scholars said Wednesday at a regional conference in Rwandan capital Kigali.
Rwanda hosted the conference "Mobilizing African Intellectuals towards Quality Tertiary Education" from July 5 to 6. It is organized under the auspices of the Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) to deliberate practical actions, explore solutions and build consensual approaches relevant to SDG implementation in tertiary education and research in Africa.
"There is huge concern across the continent about quality of education. Education is the bedrock for economic and social development," said Fred Swaniker, chief executive officer and founder of African Leadership Academy and the African Leadership University.
The global university ratings in 2016 indicated that Africa had only one university out of the best 100 universities, and only 4 in the best 500.
Swaniker noted that quality education is in line with achieving sustainable development goals and holds the key to unlocking the potential in people.
The two-day meeting has attracted more than 300 intellectuals and scholars from all over Africa and beyond.
According to Abel Idowu Olayinka, vice chancellor of University of Ibadan of Nigeria, strong political will will solve the current education problems in Africa and allow struggling African countries to create policy frameworks to provide quality education to millions of young Africans.
"Education remains the key to sustainable development, and it is vital that the young African labor force is given right education and skills to sustain development and respond to global issues," he said.
Belay Begashaw, Director General of SDGC/A, said that higher education holds the key to sustainable development in Africa and there is a dire need to improve it further.
"Every African child must be given equal opportunity and access to quality education that would enable them to attain social and economic mobility," he added.
For Africa to compete on the global stage, as well as for its countries to meet the SDGs and African Union's Agenda 2063, the quality of higher education across the continent is in urgent need of improvement, according to Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa authority.
