The main focus for DIUS involvement in encouraging greater engagement between England and sub Saharan Africa educational institutions came from recommendations from the 2005 Commission for Africa report and the G8 Gleneagles Summit and, more recently, from other pledges such as the Prime Minister’s MDG Call for Action on growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa.
To engage in wider government initiatives and enable greater international participation and knowledge in our own educational institutions, we focus mainly on developing mutually beneficial partnerships between Higher and Further education institutions in England and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Education Partnerships in Africa Programme (EPA)
In 2008, we launched the Education Partnerships in Africa Programme (EPA) as a successor programme to our England-Africa Partnerships (EAP) programme, which ran from 2006-2008.
The aim of EPA is to contribute to the capacity of higher and further education institutions to deliver employability skills for the local economy. The new scheme is managed by British Council on our behalf. To find out more about this programme please click on the following link: DIUS Education Partnerships in Africa Programme
If your University or College is thinking about starting up a partnership, please contact the DIUS funded Africa Unit, based at the Association for Commonwealth Universities (ACU). The Unit provides expert consultation on Higher and Further Education partnerships and can also help identify areas of work, funding and suitable institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Contact details are on the Africa Unit website.
The Africa Unit
The Africa Unit has now released its April 2009 Newsletter. This edition includes an introduction to the Africa Unit and its website, reports on conferences, publications, existing partnership funding schemes, potential project partners, and upcoming events.
Download the Africa Unit April 2009 Newsletter
(913 KB).