Annual JuneConvening 2021Brochure

THE EDUCATIONCOLLABORATIVE

Contents

Welcome

The Annual June Convening June 14-16

Events

Convening Platform

Convening Schedule

Participating Institutions

The Employability Track

The Entrepreneurship Track

Special Feature on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Onstage Sessions

We warmly welcome you to the Education Collaborative at Ashesi University’s Annual Convening, 2021. Every year, the Collaborative’s Annual Convening brings together stakeholders in higher education to probe into selected areas in African higher education. We are excited to create virtual opportunities for networking, exchanging ideas, and build-ing partnerships between you, participants, and institutions. We have made provision for scheduling one-on-one meetings, receiving instant updates, sharing ideas through community discussions and viewing the convening agenda even offline.

We welcome higher education leaders, faculty, administrators policy makers, entrepreneurs, developmental partners, and employers across Africa to this year’s Convening. We understand the need to collectively prepare for Africa’s future and the changing dynamics of the corporate and entrepreneurial landscape.

Our speakers and facilitators across the continent will share insights and implementable tools and techniques towards building the capacity of higher-ed institutions. The goal is to develop your institution’s capacity to nurture students for successful careers, build entrepreneurship eco-systems, and rethink strategies for inclusive and diverse campus envi-ronments. We acknowledge and thank our speakers and facilitators for their work in their various fields.

Welcome

Our drive as the organizing team is to create an experience that will build

your capacity to impact your institution and the continent.

For the first time, we have included a “Commitment Summit”. The Summit provides an opportunity to consolidate insights from the Convening so you can make plans to implement them in your insti-tution. We will announce an implementation grant for projects that emerge from the Convening.

Our drive as the organizing team is to create an experience that will build your capacity to impact your institution and the continent.

We look forward to the collaborations and partnerships that will emerge out of the Convening.

01 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

In 2017, Ashesi University started the Education Collaborative initiative to lead a convening of higher education institutions on the continent to collectively and sustainably raise the bar on higher education outcomes. Four years down the line, the Education Collaborative has proven the readiness of African higher education institutions to share with and mentor each other to succeed. With about 34 institutional network members, the initiative has successfully engaged more than 144 institutions in both face-to-face and virtual Convenings, and piloted an exemplar mentorship program with one higher education institution.

The initiative is already, directly and indirectly, impacting some 250 educators in more than 20 countries in Africa. Over the next 10 years, we are working to build partnerships and collabora-tions with peer institutions and stakeholders on the continent to improve higher education outcomes speedily.

Why is this important?

The challenge of a youthful populationBy 2050, Africa’s population will reach 2.5 billion, of which 50% will be youthful (UN, 2017).

The challenge of unemploymentAfrica needs to create a minimum of 12 million jobs annually to provide jobs for the 30 million youth who will enter the labor market by 2030.

The challenge of economic development263 million young people will lack an economic stake in the system by 2025.

About the EducationCollaborative 02 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Higher education, from universities to vocational institutes, plays a critical role in developing talents, skills and leading innovations for economic transformation. As of 2020, Africa had 1650 higher-ed insti-tutions (HEIs)1. Overall enrollment of students into these tertiary institu-tions has increased in recent years. However, the continent remains far below the global average at 7%, compared to 29% globally2.

The increase in enrolment rates, albeit small, have not been matched with an increase in tertiary budgets from ministries of education. This has led to a decrease in quality, overcrowded classrooms, an academ-ic staff deficit of 50%, and an inability to meet the growing demand for tertiary education3. The World Bank reports that while enrollments more than tripled in the last decades, tertiary public financing dropped for 33 of the 54 coun-tries in the region. The Bank, therefore, projects that countries will need a 150% increase in funding to complement their national budg-ets if they want to maintain quality, given the rise in demand.The continent is facing a shortage of highly skilled talent, and most tertiary institutions are not generating highly qualified graduates who

Tackling Africa’s Higher Education Challenge

1 https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/challenges-and-prospects-africas-higher-education2 http://www.aaionline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/AAI-SOE-report-2015-final.pdf3 World Bank. 2008. Accelerating Catch-Up: Tertiary Education for Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington DC: The World Bank4 Patrick Awuah at ‘We the Future’ TED Talk

can contribute to their countries' development. There is a mismatch of educational outputs and industry-required capabilities in the job market, contributing to high graduate unemployment.The needed scale and speed for delivering transformation in higher education in Africa is beyond any single institution’s capability. It requires a collective with a shared agenda, mutual accountability, and uncompromising dedication to the vision for transformation.

Given that African universities will need to educate approximately 30 million students by 2050 cumulatively, it is imperative to re-strategize to get ahead of this4. Through collaborations, aca-demic professionals in institutions with training or operational defi-cits can receive mentorship when matched with established professionals in other exemplary institutions. Such exemplary insti-tutions clustered in East, West, Central, North and Southern Africa must serve as beacons to others, achieving excellence in teaching, research, and innovation in various fields, serving as magnets for our best and brightest to stay in Africa.

03 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

The Annual Convening 2021

Building the capacityof institutions to improveAfrican higher-ed outcomes

The 2021 Annual Convening is a 3-day activity-packed set of engagements that seeks to bring together administrators, educators, development agencies and employers onto one platform.

It will feature a mix of hands-on workshops, plenaries, panels, and innovation sessions designed to spark interest and develop institutions’ capacity to nurture students for successful careers, build entrepreneurship ecosystems, and rethink strategies for inclusive and diverse campus environ-ments.

June 14-16, 2021

04 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ANNUAL CONVENING:

http://bit.ly/EduCollab2021

HIGHER-ED EXECUTIVES

FACULTY AND STAFF OF HIGHER-ED INSTITUTIONS

HIGHER-ED ASSOCIATIONSAND BODIES

DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND POLICY MAKERS INDUSTRY PLAYERS/ EMPLOYERS

ACCESS AN AUDIENCE OF:

ENTREPRENEURIALECOSYSTEM DEVELOPERS

06 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021Event Format

EntrepreneurshipTrack

EmployabilityTrack

Special Feature: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

OnstageSessions

CommitmentSummit

Parallel Track Parallel Track

07 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021Opening PlenaryJune 14

The Opening of the 2021 Annual Convening will highlight the value of collaboration for higher education and the Education Collaborative’s approach to improving overall outcomes across Africa. The session will feature current examples of successful initiatives, and various institutions’ commit-ments and engagements in the network. The plenary will also highlight the impact of the network and how it amplifies the broader transformation agenda for education on the African continent.

Collaboratively improving higher educationoutcomes in Africa

9:00 - 11:00 GMT

Dr. Alex AwitiVice-Provost, Aga Khan UniversitySpeaker

Kader KaneyePresident, ADUSpeaker

Rose DoddDirector the Education Collaborative, Ashesi UniversitySpeaker

Prof. Jonathan MbaDirector, Research and Academic Planning, Association of AfricanUniversitiesSpeaker Speaker

Prof. Baylie YeshitaVice Chancellor, KeplerSpeaker

Prof. Angela Owusu-AnsahProvost, Ashesi University

Speaker

Patrick AwuahFounder and President, Ashesi University

Speaker

Prof. Samuel GuduVice chancellor, Rongo University

Associate Professor, Business Administration, Ashesi University

Dr Gordon Adomdza

June 14-15

The Entrepreneurship track will share hands-on strategies to help higher education institutions (HEIs) build systems to efficiently produce entrepre-neurs on the African continent. It will explore successful initiatives, structures, success measurement tools and policies within the HEIs that nurture entrepreneurs. The track will also uncover strategic partnership models between HEIs and other players, including alumni, in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and their inter-dependencies in developing entrepreneurship ecosystems on the continent.

Exploring successful higher-ed modelsfor developing sustainable and efficiententrepreneurship ecosystems

June 14

Entrepreneurship Session 1 | 11:30 – 14:45 GMT(Break 12:15- 13:00 GMT)

08 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021Entrepreneurship Track

This track is organised by Ashesi University in partnership with Centre forSocial Innovations, Ghana

Plenary presentation and discussion of exemplarHEI models

Entrepreneurship Session 2 | 13:45 – 15:00 GMT

Entrepreneurship interdependencyfactors and institutional assessment

Dr. Sena Agbodjah AgyepongHead of Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University

Dr. Henrietta OnwuegbuzieDirector, MBA Programmes,Lagos Business School| Pan Atlantic University

Dr. George NjengaExecutive Dean of the Strathmore Business School

Speaker

Speaker Moderator

Speaker

June 15

Entrepreneurship Workshop 1 | 10:00 - 12: 00 GMTIdeation and institutional concept developmentfor a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem

09 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021Entrepreneurship Track

P I C T U R E G O E S H E R EDirector of Executive Education Strathmore Business Schoolfacilitator facilitator facilitator

Eddah Munyi Associate Professor, Business Administration, Ashesi University

CEO and Co-founder, Center for Social Innovations, Ghana

Yaw Adu-GyamfiDr Gordon Adomdza

Redefining career preparation in African higher-ed institutions

June 14-16

The Employability Track brings together education and industry practitioners to share practical experiences and conduct focused deliberations on how students can be better guided and prepared for rewarding and dynamic career opportunities. At the end of the sessions, participants are expected to:

Identify successful synergies and gaps between the needs of the labor market and develop strategies to build career-ready competencies in students.

Identify opportunities and processes to sustainably engage employers across Africa for the career development of students.

Build practical tools and skills to leverage on alumni engagement to develop sustainable employment opportunities for students

This track is organised in partnership with Kepler, Rwanda.

Employability Track 10 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

June 14

Employability Panel | 11:30 - 14:30 GMT (Break- 12:45 -13:00 GMT)

Aligning the focus of education in higher education institutions to labor market needs.

Sylvia Kunkyebe

Moderator

Bernard Conyers

Panelist

Dr. Sakah Nsaidzedze

Panelist

Prof. Baylie Damtie Yeshita

Panelist

June 15

Workshop 1 | 10:00 - 12:00 GMTMaximizing employer engagement for sustainable HEIs’ career development and employment services initiatives

Karoli Kolokonyi

Facilitator

Abigail Welbeck

Facilitator

Leveraging alumni relations for effectivecareer development initiatives in HEIs

Michael Quansah

Facilitator

Dr. Davis Adrian Wayne

Facilitator

Workshop 2 | 12:30 -14:45 GMT

Employability Track 11 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Director of Career &Alumni Affairs, Kepler

Vice Chancellor, KeplerLead, Transitions, MasterCard Foundation, Ghana

Supply Chain Director,Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Unilever Ghana

Managing Director, Big Steps Outreach Network (BONET)

Director of Career ServicesAshesi University

Executive Director/ Principal Consultant Bright Future Global Consultant and Education Service, USA

Alumnus, Ashesi UniversityAshesi University, Ghana

June 16

Employability Case Study | 8:30 – 10:00 GMT

Maximizing employer engagement: Ashesi-ETH Zurich

Employability Track 12 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Dr. Marriette Mertens

Panelist

Maxmilian Grau

Panelist

Dr. Wilfred Elegba

Moderator

Dr. Nathan Amanquah

Panelist

Head of Engineering Department,Ashesi University

Programme Manager,Learning & Partnerships, ETH4D, ETH Zurich

Programme Manager,Learning and Partnerships, ETH4D, ETH Zurich

Graduate ProgrammeCoordinator, Mechatronics Engineering programme, Ashesi University

June 16

DEI Session 1 | 10:15 - 12:15 GMT DEI Session 2 | 12:30 - 14:15 GMT

The special feature is organized in partnership with University of Gondar, Ethiopia.

Special Feature 13 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

The place of diversity, equity, and inclusionin higher education institutional strategy

This Special Feature will present the platform to share evidence and explore DEI strategically, including it in institutional strategy. Sessions under this track will bring DEI and its applicability to the forefront in African higher education. The feature will answer these questions:

What are the components of a full DEI agenda for an African higher institution? And how do regional and context differences impact this?

Why should DEI be a fundamental consideration in developing a strategy for the African higher education institution? What is in it for the institution, the student(s), and the continent?

Dr Desalegn MenageshaAssociate Professor;Regional Director,GlobalOne Health Initiative, Ethiopia

Dr Solomon MekonnenDirector, CBR and Scholars Program, Universityof Gondar, Ethiopia

PanelistModerator

Leonne Laura UwizihiweDEI Manager, Kepler,Rwanda

Panelist Panelist

Mrs. Marieke BroersmaCommunity based Rehabilitation Advisor, Light for the World

Facilitator

Mr. Melaku TekleExecutive Director, Ethiopian Center for Disability andDevelopment (ECDD)

Dinah AdikoGender Equality and Social Inclusion Consultant

Facilitator

Facilitator Facilitator

The Onstage Sessions are featured sessions of the Education Collaborative Annual Convening. They are 30-minute slots that allow educators, administrators, and other stakeholders in the sector to share thought and innovation with participants in the convening. Sessions are experienced-based or research-focused

14 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021OnStage Sessions

June 14

Roundtable Discussion 1 | 11:00 - 11:30 GMTImproving teaching and learning in African business schools.

Roundtable Discussion 2 | 14:45 – 015:15 GMT

Esther Afoley LaryeaLecturer, Ashesi University

Dr. Sena Agbodjah AgyepongHead of Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University

and highlight practical innovations by the presenters in their roles and their engagements on the continent. It is open to all higher-ed stakeholders in Africa and beyond. The sessions are virtual and structured to last 30 minutes.

June 15

12:00 – 12:30 GMTUsing evidence to improve employabilityfor young people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

14:45 – 15:15 GMTIndustry-oriented learning and digital tools for enhancing student career outcomes (In African higher education)

Dr. Jennifer N. UdehHead of Programmes andPartnership, Education sub-SaharanAfrica (ESSA)

Dr. Samuel AsareResearch Manager,ESSA

Segun OgunwaleKominity Digital Co-founder

15 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021OnStage Sessions

Facilitator

FacilitatorFacilitator

This session offers participants the opportunity to consolidate their insights from the Convening and set an agenda and commitments for implementation in their institutions. The Education Collaborative will announce an implementation grant to activate projects.

June 16

14:30 - 15:15 GMT

Agenda setting and ways of implementing insights from the Convening:

Dr. George MugabeDirector of Research & Community Service, Kepler Facilitator

Rose DoddDirector, the EducationCollaborative, Ashesi University

16 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021Commitment Summit

Facilitator Facilitator

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1va8mrmzd0EV70stE0XVQRhjgCH1I8IOp/view

Convening Platform

We have made provision for a seamless network experience this year. Participants can use our conference platform, Whova to navigate, network and participate in sessions via web or mobile phone.

NAVIGATE the event agenda and logistics, even with-out Wi-Fi or data. Access useful information and join discussions through the Community Board.

NETWORK effectively. Plan whom to meet by explor-ing attendee profiles and sending out messages.

PARTICIPATE in event activities through session likes, comments, ratings, live polling, tweeting, and more.

View guidelines for setting up your Whova Account.

17 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Whova

Annual Convening ScheduleSchedule 14 – 16 June | Time Zone - GMT

General(All)

June 14

June 16 14:30 - 15:15 GMT

9:00 -11:00 GMT Opening Plenary

Commitment Summit

Employability Track

June 14

June 15

June 16

11:30 - 14:30 GMT

(12:45 - 13:00 GMT)Break

Panel: Aligning the focus of education in higher education institutions to labor market needs;

10:00 - 12:00 GMT

08:30 - 09:45 GMT

12:30 - 14:45 GMT

Workshop: Maximizing employer engagement for sustainable HEIs’ career development and employment services initiatives

Panel: Leveraging alumni relations for effective career development initia-tives in HEIs

Employability case study: Employabil-ity case study: Maximizing employers' engagement: Ashesi-ETH Zurich

Entrepreneurship Track

June 14

June 15

11:30 - 15:00 GMT Entrepreneurship Interdependency Factors & Institutional Assessment

10:00 - 12:00 GMT Workshop: Entrepreneurship ecosystem: Ideation and institutional concept development

Special Feature- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

June 16 10:00 - 11:45 GMT

12:45 - 14:15 GMT

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (1st Session)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(2nd Session)

OnStage Sessions

June 14 11:00 - 11:30 GMT

14:45 - 15:15 GMT

Roundtable discussion 1: Improving teaching and learning in African business schools

Roundtable discussion 2: Improving teach-ing and learning in African business schools

June 15 12:00 - 12:30 GMT

14:45 - 15:15 GMT

Using evidence to improve employability for young people in sub-Saharan Africa

Industry-Oriented Learning and Digital Tools for Enhancing Student Career Outcomes (in African Higher Education)

18 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Andrew AkotoSenior Project Consultant, InjaroInvestment Advisors Ltd.

Angela Owusu-AnsahProvost, Ashesi University

Frederick BigaVice President at Goldman Sachs. Product Manager & Lead for AmericasReal-Time Communication, Workplace Engineering

Rose AkuduguAssistant Director of Finance, Ashesi University

Rukayatu SanusiExecutive Director,Ghana Climate Innovation Centre

Sena Agbodjah AgyepongSenior Lecturer & Head of BA Department, Ashesi University

The Education Collaborative Consulting Committee 19 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Rose A. DoddDirector, Education Collaborative at Ashesi

Prof. Angela Owusu- AnsahProvost and Executive Committee Member, Ashesi University

Rose A. DoddDirector

Nana Kwabena OwusuM&E and Learning Coordinator

Lydia Adobea Dampare AddoCommunications and PR

Ophesmur Naa Adjeley AdjeiCommunications and PR Coordinator

Vanessa Aba SamOperations Coordinator

Stephen GyanPrograms Coordinator

The Organizing Team 20 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

The Organizing Partners 21 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Participating Institutions 22 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Participating Institutions 23 • ANNUAL CONVENING 2021

Ashesi University

1 University Ave, Berekuso-E/R

PMB CT 3, Cantonments, Accra Ghana

T:+233(302) 610 330

www.educationcollab.ashesi.edu.gh

THE EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE

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