The African Union Commission Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, H.E Professor Sarah Anyang Agbor has charged the Pan-African University graduates of the Institute for Life and Earth Sciences to be the key to change the narrative of Africa towards achieving the African dream. 

The AU Commissioner said this at the 71st Foundation Day and Convocation ceremony of Ph.D degree of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria where the Pan-African students were also conferred with the awards of higher degrees.

The Pan African University graduated 10 PhD and 6 Masters students in the host institution, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Speaking at the convocation in Ibadan, the African Union representative said “It gives me great pleasure and honour to address this graduation of the six cohorts graduating masters and the 10 PhD scholars of the PAN African University for Life and Earth Sciences (including Health and Agriculture) as the graduation is being conducted with that of the host university, University of Ibadan”.

“These graduating groups comprises 10 PhD with 5 from Environmental and Management, Basic and Reproductive Sciences 1, Geo-Sciences 3, and 1 from Petroleum and Mineral Respiration option;

“Country statistics of PhD indicates Nigerians are 3, Ghana 1, Benin Republic 1, Ethiopia 1 and 4 Cameroonians” she said.

Speaking further, “Africa’s vision of Agenda 2063 stated the aspirations of the African people, none of which is achievable without quality, inclusive transformative education and training. This aspiration calls for a people driven development relying on the potential of its or especially the youth and including the women in emphasizing on the need to catalyze an education and skills revolution anchor in science, technology and skill revolution in research and innovation for building transformative knowledge with African values for responsible citizenship and sustainable development” she said. 

She stated that the African Union established the PAN African University with thematic institutes of the 5 region of the continent addressing key areas responsible for the social economic development of Africa.

“These five institutes have been established with the understanding of having strong support from the host government and the universities that are hosting them”.

The AU Commissioner thank the federal government of Nigeria for hosting the PAN African University and at the same time, pleaded with them to fulfil its promise of the takeoff grant of the sum of N250 million yet to be released since 2013.

She also plead to the federal government of Nigeria to help the university with budgetary that will support the institution

She charged the graduating students be the key that would change the narrative of African continent towards achieving the African dream.

“You are the ones that have the key to change the narrative of this continent and lead us to that lofty dream, the African dream where we no longer dream of the American, Caribbean and European dreams but we should speak of the African dream.

“As you have this African dream, we need the political will, policy and strategy to be implemented as our conducive environment be granted to the graduands. You have to contribute to the growth and sustainable development of your countries towards achieving the African dream” she said.

She however urged the African Union, Member States and International Organizations to open doors and provide them with better jobs.

Earlier in an interview, the AU Commissioner who was elected into office in 2017 disclosed some of the achievements that her department with support from the African Union were doing to ensure that African achieve her dream.

“In this wise, as a commissioner having education underneath us, we also have to look at the issues of education for the refugees or the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). We have what we called NwalimuNyerere Scholarship, this year 2019, we dedicated that scholarship for the refugees and the IDPs so that they can get into schools and we can help them pay their school fees and also give them money for their up keeps. Each scholarship is $500 per month”. She said. 

Speaking on the reward for teachers towards their selfless service to humanity in Africa she said “Under the Continental Education Study for Africa, there is a thematic cluster we refer to as the ‘Teachers Training Professional’. Since we speak about the quality of education in Africa, we believed that the quality of teachers will reflect on the quality of students and also the need to speak about the quality of curriculum”.

“Under the teachers training programme, we decided to come up with the first ever teachers award programme to be given to the teachers. The award was One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) but we divided it into 10 prizes, each region of the continent would have two teachers that would represent that continent. The first ever continental teachers award took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in October, 2019 where we gave the awards to the 10 teachers of the 5 regions the sum of $10,000 each”.

She also noted that teaching should be taken as a noble profession so as to change the slogan of ‘teachers reward is in heaven’.

Talking about the ongoing 1 million by 2021 initiative by the Chairperson of the AUC, H.E Dr. Moussa Faki, she said “The 1 million by the 2021 initiative of the African Union is a huge programme. It is put in 4E’s Education, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Engagement. We believed that the youth of Africa are our future walking stick and they are the ones that will make up the power that we call Africa, then we need to engage them to achieve their dreams”.

She however thanks the African Union, Member States for their supports towards ensuring the Agenda 2063 is achievable in Africa.