Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, in collaboration with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Silatech, announced a strategic partnership aimed at creating a significant impact on access to education, climate action and employment opportunities across Africa and Asia.
This ground breaking partnership, backed by a financial commitment of up to US$70 million seeks to address challenges faced by over 80,000 out of school children, educate 200 000 youth on climate change and create employment opportunities for 150,000 young people across 25 countries over the next five years.
Photo: NAN
Fahad AL Sulaiti, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Education Above All Foundation (EAA), expressed his vision for the partnership, stating: “”We firmly believe that every child should be given the opportunity to realise their right to education. Together through this partnership, we are taking a significant leap towards ensuring quality primary education for many more of the most marginalised out of school children. Together, we will contribute to a world where every child can learn, grow, and fulfil their dreams.”
Hassan Al Mulla, CEO of Silatech, emphasised the importance of empowering youth through employment opportunities, noting: “As we join forces in this transformative collaboration, Silatech is honoured to play a vital role in empowering youth globally through employment opportunities. Through innovative and effective solutions, we are committed to addressing the pressing challenge of youth unemployment, enabling young people to unleash their true potential and fulfil their aspirations.”
Marie-Hélène Loison, deputy CEO of AFD for her part, stated: “I am very pleased today to sign this tripartite Framework Agreement with EAA and Silatech. It concretely sets concessional cofinancing objectives for the countries, which need it most, on two pressing issues for developing countries: access to education and youth employment.” The agreement underscores the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in supporting developing nations and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Through this partnership, EAA Foundation, Silatech and AFD will provide financing opportunities for access to quality primary education for out of school children, global legal advocacy for protection of education from attack, climate change education, and the employment or self-employment of youth through job placement and enterprise development in developing countries across three continents.
Proposed targeted countries include Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, and Uganda.
