The 9th UNESCO Africa Engineering Week (AEW) and 7th Africa Engineering Conference were held at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa, from 25 to 28 September 2023.
The annual Conference held under the theme “Celebrating and growing Engineering Excellence in the African Region” was hosted by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) in collaboration with the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO), the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The event was a huge success with participation by representatives from the Africa Union Commission (AUC), Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and National Engineering Institutions from Twenty countries from Africa and other parts of the world.
The total number of participants included over 700 engineering practitioners and other delegates from Africa and other parts of the world.
WFEO President Mustafa Shehu speaking at the 9th UNESCO Africa Engineering Week
There were two parallel sessions for the technical papers, and papers were selected according to different themes, namely: Power and Renewable energy; Policies, Accreditation, Harmonisation; Buildings and Places; Successful PPP Projects; ICT; Transport and Mining; Water; and Transport. The presentation format was either a panel discussion, oral presentation or posters. Various experts from ECSA, academia and industry from South Africa and Nigeria chaired sessions. All the paper topics were relevant to the conference theme and provided insights into the advancement of engineering in Africa.
A Women in Engineering Conference and Young Engineering Professionals panel session also took place. Further to this, a business to business (B2B) parallel session where consulting firms, suppliers, manufacturers, financial institutions and research entities aiming to commercialise new products in the engineering space form a crucial part of the landscape within which engineering practitioners function was held. The B2B sessions provided an opportunity for business to exchange information, collaborate, network, and learn from each other’s experiences in doing engineering business in Africa and beyond. The B2B digital platform was an effective tool that enabled participants to showcase themselves and their businesses and to connect with others who had similar goals and interests. It was agreed that B2B interactions would become a formal regular feature of the AEW conferences.
In his keynote address at the conference, attended by dignitaries from across the African continent, the Deputy President of South Africa His Excellence Paul Mashatile stated that: “Engineering is the backbone of any society and plays a role in shaping the world driving technological advancements, infrastructure development and economic progress.”
Consulting firms, suppliers, manufactures, financial institutions and research entities aiming to commercialise new products in the engineering space form a crucial part of the landscape within which engineering practitioners function. The B2B sessions provided an opportunity for business to exchange information, collaborate, network, and learn from each other’s experiences in doing engineering business in Africa and beyond. The B2B digital platform was an effective tool that enabled participants to showcase themselves and their businesses and to connect with others who had similar goals and interests. It was agreed that B2B interactions would become a formal regular feature of the AEW conferences.
YouTube recordings are available below.
ECSA CEO, Dr Bridget Ssamula on the 2023 AEW
DAY 1 – Opening Session
DAY 2
DAY 3
For more information:
9th UNESCO AEW and 7th AEC Resolutions
JAN
2024