Africa Engineering Week 2023 continued in Pretoria on 27 September 2023, with the theme of celebrating and growing engineering excellence dominating the third day of the 9th UNESCO Africa Engineering Week (AEW) and the 7th Africa Engineering Conference at the CSIR International Convention Centre. Delegates, including ministers, government officials, academia and the private sector from across the continent, agreed that engineers need to be at the policymaking table, given the engineer’s role in bettering society through infrastructure development.
Getting Engineers to the Policymaking Table
A common thread through the conference was the call, We need to get engineers at the policymaking table, we need to have more engagement with government.
Delegates noted that reliable, quality data on engineering education in Africa is needed to inform policy and decision making, alongside the enablement of skills mobility, retention, and inter-regional recognition of qualifications and the harmonisation of engineering policies and standards.
Reflecting on remarks made the previous day by Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister in the Presidency for Electricity:
As long as we are disjointed (as Africans), we are going to be super-exploited…we must define our own standards.
Voices from Across the Continent
Eng Amos Marawa, Deputy Chief Secretary of the Office of the Presidency of Zimbabwe, proposed a new coordinating body:
To address the mobility of engineers and ensure the African Free Trade Area is a success we are recommending that we establish an ‘African Engineering Education Think Tank’ to facilitate the intellectual discourse and coordinate the ongoing initiatives as well as new ones and also to promote homegrown solutions and linkages to global bodies and alliances in engineering education.
Ntshengedzeni Maphula, Acting CEO of the Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa (ECIC), pointed to opportunity in the continent’s infrastructure deficit: The African continent has an infrastructure deficit with climate change the biggest risk but we see the opportunity in this for technological advancement.
He said ECIC promotes the export of goods and services to grow the economy and create jobs, encouraging local companies to increase local production, especially for renewables and the green economy.
Shem Bodo, Senior Programs Officer at the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), warned: We are not prepared for disasters in the education system.
He described the development of remote education benchmarking toolkits, in collaboration with partners across the continent, aimed at improving education resilience.
Sophia Ashipala of the African Union stressed that quality education is fundamental to Africa’s sustainable socio-economic development in support of Agenda 2063, saying a focus on STEM is crucial: The education and skills revolution underpinned by Science, Technology and Innovation is crucial to developing Africa’s human and social capital.
Carlien Bou-Chedid, Immediate Past President of the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO), addressed the impact female engineers can make, saying:
In relation to the SDGs, it is important that female engineers recognize the critical role they play in reflecting the priorities and needs of females in any engineering design solution.
About Africa Engineering Week
Themed “Celebrating Engineering Excellence in the African Region,” the 9th UNESCO Africa Engineering Week 2023 and the 7th Africa Engineering Conference ran from 25 to 28 September 2023. The annual event, hosted by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) in 2023, is delivered through the collaborative efforts of UNESCO, the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO).
Original Press Release
About ECSA
The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is the statutory body established under the Engineering Profession Act, 46 of 2000, mandated to regulate the engineering profession in South Africa. ECSA is responsible for the accreditation of engineering programmes, the registration of engineering practitioners, and upholding professional and ethical standards across the profession.
Issued by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).
ECSA Media Contact
Sybil Dlamini, Manager: Marketing and Communication
Email: sybil@ecsa.co.za | Tel: 073 623 8275
Website: www.ecsa.co.za
This article is based on an official ECSA press release. Read the original statement.
