1. IEEE in Africa: Potential Opportunities for Standards Education
March 15, 2013
Tara Wisniewski
Director, Social Innovation Programs
Corporate Activities
4/4/2019

2. Today’s Presentation Why am I here? Key background
Recent corporate engagement / activities related to Africa
What we know… and what we don’t know
SEC opportunities
Questions
4/4/2019

3. Key Background: Africa
World's second-largest and second most-populous continent (after Asia)
Land mass of >30 million km²
1.0 billion people (as of 2009)
54 countries
According to the UN, 33 of the 49 least developed countries are in Africa
Africa is expected to be the fastest growing region of the world by 2050: population will double to 2.1 billion

4. Future growth McKinley Global Institute
Africa's growth acceleration is widespread.
Future economic growth will be supported by Africa's increasing ties to the global economy.
The resilience of Africa in the recent global recession is not an accident but underpinned by a deep commitment to reform, and political and economic stability.
Many frontier emerging markets: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
To join BRIC status Africa will need help on three fronts:
a “Big Push” on infrastructure to achieve scale economies
deepening efforts to manage volatility; and
a major expansion in skills coupled with the ability to absorb global knowledge on an economy-wide scale.

5. Building professional skills… a snapshot of tertiary education
Postsecondary enrollment rose by 41% in Africa from 2000 to 2007.
A private tertiary education sector in Africa is developing rapidly in response to declining quality in the public sector, and to respond to the labor market’s skills needs.
Since 1990, private colleges, universities, and tertiary level professional institutes have been established at a far faster rate than public ones.
Public universities doubled from roughly 100 to nearly 200 between 1990 and 2007, while the number of private tertiary institutions exploded during the same period from two dozen to an estimated 468.

6. IEEE in Africa IEEE Region 8 includes Europe, Middle East and Africa
4/4/2019

7. IEEE in Africa Despite growth… IEEE’s presence in Africa is modest
Africa accounted for almost $4.1 million in IEEE revenue in 2010, just over 1% of IEEE’s total revenue.
As of 2012, IEEE has 7,017 members in 8 sections
Africa accounts for roughly 1.2% of Xplore views and 2.1% of visits in a given month
15 IEEE conferences in 2011 on the continent (roughly 1.1% of IEEE conferences)
Each IEEE OU has some activity on the continent
EPICS
Africon 2013
Standards outreach
PES

8. Looking to the future: IEEE and Africa
Conducting outreach and exploration to define opportunities since 2011
Partnership formed with UNESCO with a focus on Africa
Negotiating partnership with New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
2013 Africa Ad Hoc Committee – led by Vincent Kaabunga (Kenya)
2013 Humanitarian Ad Hoc Committee – led by Adrian Pais (Zambia)
Exploratory delegation led by President Peter Staecker in April 2013: Zambia, Kenya and Ethiopia

9. What we know…and what we don’t know
Capacity-building efforts aligned with workforce development targets is resonating with potential partners
Infrastructure issues cannot be ignored
Wide dearth of institutional capacity
Partnerships are CRITICAL to success: government; scientific bodies; educational institutions
Approach needs to be tailored
Opportunities are vast but the right niche for IEEE remains unclear

10. SEC opportunities Thought leadership beyond academic environments
Leading role in understanding how standards processes could operate in developing economies
Leading role in adapting standards processes
New approaches to standards education
Leapfrog opportunity?
Next steps?

11. Questions or Comments
4/4/2019