Tribune News Network
Paris
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 education, climate action and employment opportunities across Africa and Asia.
This groundbreaking partnership, backed by a financial commitment of up to $70 million seeks to address challenges faced by more than 280,000 out-of-school children and youth on climate change education and create employment opportunities for 150,000 young people across 25 countries over the next five years.
Fahad Al Sulaiti, chief executive officer (CEO) of EAA, expressed his vision for the partnership, stating: “We believe that education is a fundamental right that every child deserves. Through this partnership, we are taking a giant leap towards ensuring quality education for all, leaving no child behind. Together, we will create 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, saying: “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, said: “I am very pleased today to sign this tripartite Framework Agreement with EAA and Silatech. It sets concessional co-financing 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 achieving 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 support financing opportunities 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.
