BICC to host AU Commission summit tomorrow

After an assessment by an AU delegation earlier this month, the African Union (AU) Commission chose Lilongwe to be the host of the 2018 summit of the Committee of 10 Heads of State at Bingu International Conference Centre.

The Summit will last for two days, from 2nd to 3rd November, 2018.

The African Union instituted the Committee in 2016 after it was noted that education, science, technology and innovation remain the primary instruments that will enable Africa to effectively implement its long-term vision of a transformative Agenda 2063.

This year’s Summit will among other things champion Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation in Africa, as part of the efforts to strengthen the role of Science, Technology and Innovation as a crucial compound for economic growth in Africa.

The Committee is chaired by the President of Senegal and the composition of the Committee includes two Presidents from each of AU’s Five Continental Regions.

Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika is the second Vice Chairperson of the committee.

The committee draws its membership from; Senegal, Chad, Egypt, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Sierra Leone, and Tunisia.

Recently, Malawi’s president Peter Mutharika invited 21 ministers from the African continent so as to discuss youth and educational issues affecting countries in the Comesa Region.

Local and international institutions, organisations and development partners will be provided a platform to showcase their innovations.

Some of the institutions include; Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malawi and abroad, ICT, manufacturing, African Development Bank, African Centres of Excellence, Innovation Hubs, SanBio, AUC and Regional Economic Committee.

The committee is poised to support the implementation of Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa and ensure that Science, Technology and Innovation can be used to drive Africa’s economic growth agenda.