Ernst & Young in collaboration with experts from the Institute for Emerging Market Studies (IEMS) at the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO have issued new research on Africa’s economic growth.
This research report analyses the main factors driving Africa’s success such as government initiatives to reduce inflation, budget deficits and debt levels.  Interestingly, Africa’s population will be 20% of the world population in 2050 with a median age of 20 and moreover a genuine middle class is emerging.   Another powerful indicator is that the economic presence of the BRICs is expected to be 50% of African trade by 2030 and it is no secret that Africa has great reserves of natural resources. Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia and Republic of Congo are in the global top 20 of oil, gold or copper producers. Read more...

Sharing the best practices of sustainable classroom computing: join experts from Zambia, Lesotho and the UK in the eLearning Africa interactive session chaired by Dell's David Angwin http://bit.ly/10kBPJj.
To know the whole programme, please visit the following address: http://www.elearning-africa.com/programme_table.php
Notes for editors
eLearning Africa, 8th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training
May 29 - 31, 2013
Safari Conference Centre, Windhoek, Namibia
Organisers: ICWE GmbH (www.icwe.net), Government of the Republic of Namibia
Contact
ICWE GmbH, Ms Rebecca Stromeyer
info@elearning-africa.com, www.eLearning-africa.com, Tel.: +49 (0)30 310 18 18-0
The eLearning Africa Team

By Issa Yussuf. Zanzibar — EVERY year more and more students and employees are applying for loans to go for higher education, yet the government cannot sponsor all the applicants.
The situation has prompted Zanzibar government to identify alternatives so that all Zanzibaris, who qualify and need to study further, do so.
The increasing number of applicants is probably the biggest challenge facing the Zanzibar Higher Education Loans Board (ZHELB) since it was established in 2011, with the main objectives of sponsoring Zanzibari students and hunt for scholarships worldwide. Read more...

GOVERNMENT owes $62 million in unpaid fees to its State universities, polytechnic colleges and teacher’s colleges, Parliament heard yesterday.
SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER
Director of Higher Education Martha Muguti disclosed that the Ministry of Finance had failed to meet its budgetary obligations to finance tertiary institutions since 2012, leaving them in financial dire straits.
Muguti made the disclosure when she appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology chaired by Insiza MP Siyabonga Ncube.
“Since January 2013, no single cent has been released for State universities and we find it difficult to deal with issues of accommodation, meals and the standard of life students now live is appalling,” she said. Read more...

By Bode Gbadebo. The National Universities Commission (NUC) has unveiled the identities of the illegal “universities” with known addresses operating in the country. The commission disclosed this yesterday at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) headquarters during a joint press conference on the activities of the operators of the illegal “universities” across the country.
According to a release signed by the NUC deputy director (legal), Moses Awe, and made available to LEADERSHIP, 41 illegal universities have so far been identified with fixed addresses and have been published on NUC website.
Meanwhile, the ICPC also disclosed at the briefing that it had commenced a nationwide joint operation with security operatives, beginning yesterday, to close down the premises of the 41 identified illegal “universities”, with the aim of seizing their properties, making arrest of operators and prosecuting the culprits. Read more...

By Henry Wanyama. The increase means 53,010 students who sat for KCSE in 2012 will join the 22 public universities and nine constituent colleges this is up from 41,870 who sat for KCSE in 2011.
Joint Admission Board chairperson Prof Mabel Imbuga, who is also JKUAT Vice Chancellor, yesterday announced that candidates who scored a minimum aggregate of B with 61 points and above will be admitted to universities.
Imbuga was speaking during a JAB meeting held at JKUAT yesterday. She said to ensure women get more chances, those with an aggregate of B with 60 points and a B- with 59 points will also be admitted under the gender affirmative action admission criteria. Read more...

Microsoft announced a TV white spaces pilot project in Tanzania to provide affordable wireless broadband access to university students and faculty.
The IT giant has tied up with the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) and UhuruOne to provide affordable broadband access to university students and faculty in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
UhuruOne, a local Internet service provider, will offer Windows 8 device and service packages to universities in Dar es Salaam.
The project, a part of the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, will increase digital literacy, teach technical skills, advance e-learning. The pilot’s initial deployment in Dar es Salaam will target the University of Dar es Salaam, among others. Read more...