African Leadership in ICT for Knowledge Society Advancement
Description
The ALICT course is implemented via a blended learning approach. The course is mainly delivered online, but is complemented and reinforced with face-to-face sessions that facilitate knowledge sharing across sectors, countries, and regions. These are strategically staged at the beginning, middle, and end of the course, and prepare the participants to continue engaging in their professional development as ALICT alumni on Africa’s only public sector leadership network.Through the ALICT course learning platforms (English and French) the course’s participants access content customised to African regional and national contexts, designed to the highest standards, and using the latest available data on key sectors of the Knowledge Society via Education, ICT, and STI. Supported by global expert tutors, participants are challenged to revise, analyse and map their countries’ future policy needs, engage in presentation and testing ideas for knowledge society development, and to work cross-sectorally to gain deeper and broader understanding of the policy coherence between sectors of their societies and economies for knowledge society advancement.The orientation for the ALICT course familiarises the participants with course structure, key concepts of leadership, futures thinking and policy development and policy coherence, the e-learning platform and the role of individual and group assignments during the course. Key leadership capacity assessment of each course participant is implemented through the 360-degree leadership appraisal process, Personal Development Plan and Leadership Journal. At the end of the course participants develop national policy coherence road maps for Knowledge Society development in their countries.The course is delivered over 8 months wherein the participants spend 15 hours a week through online learning. Participants study the following 6 modules: Module 1: Leadership in the Knowledge Age, Module 2: New Strategies for STI, Module 3: Telecommunications Infrastructure & Quality Internet Provision, Module 4: ICT Applications and the role of Government, Module 5: Education in the Knowledge Age, Module 6: Knowledge Society for Africa. Customized and shorter versions of the course can also be made available on request to be applied to other sectors, e.g. leadership development for Agriculture, Food Security, and Water ManagementParticipants who successfully complete the course receive a Professional Development Certificate in African Leadership in ICT, jointly awarded by the AUC and GESCI. The ALICT course is accredited by the Dublin City University at the Graduate Diploma level (Level 9) for Leadership Development in ICT and the Knowledge Society.
GESCI has experienced exceptionally strong demand for this programme and is in the process of building key partnerships with quality academic institutions across Africa to enable wider access to the ALICT course in a sustainable manner. A partnership with GESCI to deliver this AU flagship programme would provide institutions with an opportunity to:* Help meet the demand and need for leadership development to support effective socio-economic policy development and implementation strategies for a knowledge-intensive age* Provide this course to build leadership capacity for policy and implementation in ICT, education and science, technology and innovation as essential contributing factors for knowledge society development, as well as customised and shorter versions for other applications.GESCI shall provide the necessary capacity building for academic partner institutions for delivering the ALICT course according to the set out quality standards and agreements. The content and learning platforms shall be shared by GESCI with the local academic partners and also overall experience of successful delivery of the ALICT course. This would be done through franchising model with the overall quality assurance by GESCI and partners. GESCI has successfully implemented 3 cohorts of the ALICT programme in Anglophone African countries and currently implementing the 3th cohort in Francophone African countries. To date, GESCI has:* Developed and tested a feasible leadership capacity building model comprising of tailor-made content to respond to needs related to inclusive Knowledge Society development, and a knowledge exchange platform that facilitates interactive and peer-to-peer learning * Successfully trained 434 mid and senior level government officials so far and additional 70 participants expected to graduate by end of the year 2015 from 3 Francophone countries* Exceeded the target of 150 trained leaders by training 213 leaders and providing them with university accreditation at post-graduate diploma level* Set up an Alumni Network on LinkedIn providing alumni with opportunities for continued sharing and peer learning* Built up a research knowledge base on Knowledge Society development in Africa* Built strong partnerships with the AUC and the MFA as well as Ministries and other partners
The following governance structures are successfully operational for the ALICT programme since its commencement in 2011. The programme governing body consists of the Steering Committee, GESCI as Programme Implementing body as well as Secretariat, the African Union Commission as a continental partner and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland as the programme donor. The roles and responsibilities of each partner are outlined below:Steering Committee: The Steering Committee is the main decision making body and it is responsible for: - Approval of annual Work Plans, budgets and main implementation activities - Approval of guidelines, principles related to programme development, implementation and evaluation - Overall oversight of the progress of the programme.The Steering Committee consists of representatives from the African Union Commission, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and CEO of GESCI. GESCI:GESCI takes care of day-to-day programme management and administrative support for the overall programme covering Anglophone and Francophone regions. In terms of Governance structure within GESCI, the Programme Management team reports to Director of Programmes of GESCI. The Director of Programme reports to the CEO who in turn reports to the Board of Directors. GESCI is implementing the ALICT course in strategic partnership with the AUC and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. This partnership provides leadership capacity building in ICT, Education and STI policy for Knowledge Society development and is aligned with the 8th Africa-EU Partnership in Science, Information Society and Space and with the African Regional Action Plan for Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE). ALICT is under the Information Society partnership. ALICT has created a continent wide Alumni network of experts.AUC:The AUC is the key stakeholder in this programme. The ALICT programme originates from the African Regional Action Plan for Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE) of AUC and directly responds to the Addis Ababa declaration on ICT in Africa to intensify activities to build capacity for Knowledge Society development in Africa. The AUC regards this leadership development programme as one of their flagship initiatives.
The course was offered in 2012 in 5 Southern and Eastern Africa, countries, 83 participants have graduated. In 2013, the programme was implemented in 8 additional countries wherein 130 participants from various ministries graduated. \\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nConsidering the success of the ALICT programme, MFA – Finland agreed to support phase 2 of the programme with the addition of West and North Africa Regions (both Anglophone and Francophone countries) with the total reach of 16 African countries. The phase 2 is from 2014 to 2016. So far, ALICT course graduated 436 officials. \\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n \\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nThe ALICT course graduates have been actively engaged in the ministries and significantly contributing towards developing effective policies, strategy development and institutionalizing the capacity building in the course core areas such as; Education, ICT and STI for Knowledge Society development in their countries. They also produce a policy coherence roadmap for Knowledge Society development in their country at the end of the course. In addition, the continued interaction among the Alumni through the Leadership Network, the critical issues have been reflected and continue to reflect to shape up Nation and region wide agenda and strategies for Knowledge Society Development through the policy coherence of core pillars; Education, ICT and STI.\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n \\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nThe programme addresses personal leadership capacity through 360 degree analysis and feedback and uses futures thinking and policy coherence tools to analyse change needed in organisations and across sectors in the countries. The ALICT course further contributes to knowledge exchange between sectors in a country and between countries. \\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nGESCI engaged professional third party external evaluations through a public tendering process. \\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\nThis evaluation identified key findings and impacts of the ALICT programme as follows;\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n1. The ALICT programme achieved high ratings across the set out evaluation criteria under the categories of; Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Sustainability, Impact, Accountability and transparency.\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n2. The majority of the ALICT course participants confirmed that the course provided “Significant input on ICT integration in national policies/strategies development”.\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n3. The ALICT course participants strongly indicate that the course has increased their awareness and knowledge on issues related to Knowledge Society through developing policy coherence roadmaps. \\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\n4. The graduates gained knowledge on “Applied leadership skills in your working environment” and “Increased networking and knowledge exchange on ICT integration in education”. They also highlight that the course provided inputs for “More informed decision making on execution of daily activities” and “Improved skills and tools for policy/strategy development”.
* African Union Commission (AUC)
* Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland
* Ministries of Education, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and Science Technology Innovation (STI)
* United Nations (UN)
* African Development Bank (AfDB)
* Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)
* Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
* Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
* Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO)
* Private sector companies, universities, INGOs, and NGOs
SDGS & Targets
Goal 4
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
4.1
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.1.1
Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
4.1.2
Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
4.2
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.2.1
Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
4.2.2
Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
4.3
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.3.1
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
4.4
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.4.1
Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
4.5
4.5.1
Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
4.6
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
4.6.1
Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
4.7
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
4.7.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment
4.a
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
4.a.1
Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
4.b
4.b.1
Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
4.c
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
4.c.1
Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
Goal 10
Reduce inequality within and among countries
10.1
By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
10.1.1
Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population
10.2
By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
10.2.1
Proportion of people living below 50 per cent of median income, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
10.3
Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard
10.3.1
Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed within the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law
10.4
Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality
10.4.1
Labour share of GDP
10.4.2
Redistributive impact of fiscal policy
10.5
Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations
10.5.1
Financial Soundness Indicators
10.6
10.6.1
Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations
10.7
Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies
10.7.1
Recruitment cost borne by employee as a proportion of montlhy income earned in country of destination
10.7.2
Number of countries with migration policies that facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people
10.7.3
Number of people who died or disappeared in the process of migration towards an international destination
10.7.4
Proportion of the population who are refugees, by country of origin
10.a
10.a.1
Proportion of tariff lines applied to imports from least developed countries and developing countries with zero-tariff
10.b
10.b.1
Total resource flows for development, by recipient and donor countries and type of flow (e.g. official development assistance, foreign direct investment and other flows)
10.c
By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent
10.c.1
Remittance costs as a proportion of the amount remitted
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
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Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
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Contact Information
Jerome Morrissey, Chief Executive Officer