ADEA holds a high level meeting in Niger

At the invitation of the Government of Niger, Mr. Ahlin Byll-Cataria and Mr. Hamidou Boukary held high level meetings with Nigerien officials in Niamey to discuss ADEA’s strategic policy framework for the follow-up of the 2012 Triennial. ADEA will now focus its activities on a few countries and more particularly on those for which the Heads of State were present at the Triennial. This was the case for Niger. ADEA will support the implementation of key paradigm shifts proposed for reforming the education and training systems in these countries.

The ADEA delegation met with the Hon. Bazoum Mohamed, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sub-Regional Integration and the Diaspora on August 26. The Minister expressed his full support for the mission and arranged for a meeting with the Prime Minister. The delegation also met the Rector of the University of Niamey, Mr. Abdou Moumouni, who also received a briefing on ADEA’s planned activities in the promotion of scientific and technological competencies across Africa.

The meeting with the Prime Minister discussed issues pertaining to educational developments in Niger since independence and the challenges that lay ahead. The Prime Minister then arranged for a seminar to be held with 5 other ministers dealing with education and training (these are Basic Education, National Languages and Literacy, Secondary Education, Higher Education, Youth and Culture and TVET). This seminar with the ministers was a splendid opportunity to receive firsthand information on challenges and particular needs in each of the ministries. The delegation agreed with the Government to establish an inter-ministerial committee under the leadership and coordination of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Additionally, the ADEA delegation met with the President of the National Assembly who expressed his support for ADEA and the projects it will carry out in Niger. The President received a briefing on the mission and the need for ADEA to be backed by legislators regarding key recommendations that would come out of its interventions in Niger. ADEA also received concrete requests from the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Education and the Executive Secretariat of the Strategy for Development and Security in the Sahelo-Saharan Regions based within the Prime Minister’s Office.

ADEA will now set up a Task Force that will comprise Secretariat and Working Groups staff to support Niger in 2013 and 2014. The Association is contemplating on involving the African Development Bank’s Department for Human Development operational sector.