African leaders were urged to deliver high-quality education in their diverse nations by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.
Buhari made the request during his speech at the African Union (AU) Summit on Industrialization and Economic Diversification, which was held in Niamey, Niger Republic, according to a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
In order to develop a generation of industrial managers on the continent, he urged the leaders to revamp their educational systems to reflect the advancements in science and technology.
Buhari said: “Your excellencies, the African continent is blessed with a large youth population that can address our labour shortages. Therefore, we should tap this human resource potential that abounds in the continent by providing our youths with qualitative and fit-for-purpose education that recognises the labour market demands.
”In this regard, we must rejig our educational system and academic curricula to gravitate towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This is the short way we can produce the next generation of managers for the industrial complex we envisage, one that will not be dependent on expatriates.
”They are the solution to the socio-economic challenges that have bedevilled Africa, particularly those worsened by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia- Ukraine war, as well as the effects of climate change, terrorism and banditry.
”Chairperson, let me call on all African leaders, our development partners and the organized private sector to team up and fashion a collaboration that will ultimately lead Africa to achieve full industrialisation by the year 2030.”