U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is in Kigali this week promoting partnerships between American and African universities. The goal is to use higher education to drive development in Africa.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings says higher education is vital to the future development of Africa. She says Africa needs highly trained professionals to take on issues such as poverty, hunger and health.
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Also attending the summit are high-profile donors from around the world.
Iqbal Noor Ali is the CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation USA. He agrees with Secretary Spellings on the importance of higher education for development.
“How else are you going to grow the strong leadership that this continent, or any other part of the developing world, needs? Leaders in government, leaders in business, leaders in civil society,” said Noor Ali. “If you stop at just primary and secondary education you are not equipping people with the skills, the knowledge, the tools necessary for their own growth.”
Noor Ali says the Aga Khan Foundation has been working with the U.S. government on various programs, including education, for the past 25 years. He says his foundation is active in Africa because it believes in the promise and potential of the continent.
via VOA News – US Secretary of Education Says Higher Education Key to Development in Africa
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