The first Steering Committee meeting of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) Engineering Capacity Building for Africa Programme (ECBAP) was successfully held on 5 March 2025 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, coinciding with the World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development.
Committee members participated in the meeting in-person and online, including representatives from:
- World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO),
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
- China Association for Science and Technology (CAST),
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA),
- African Academy of Sciences (AAS),
- Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO),
- Institution of Engineers Kenya (IEK),
- Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA),
- Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE),
- Ethiopian Association of Civil Engineers (EACE), and
- Zambia Institution of Engineers (ZIE).
Eng. Mustafa Shehu, WFEO President, opened the session by highlighting the critical need to enhance engineering capacity in Africa to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He emphasized that ECBAP is not just a programme, but a global partnership aimed at empowering Africa’s engineering future.
Prof. Gong Ke, Chair of the WFEO Task Force for Engineering Capacity Building for Africa, introduced the overall objectives, strategic approach, and operational framework of ECBAP. He led the Committee through a detailed review of the Concept Note and Terms of Reference (TOR), which were unanimously approved by the Committee with strong support from all participating organizations.
Representatives from key institutions shared their insights and expressed strong support for the programme. Mr. Zhang Bin, Deputy Director of Department of International Affairs, CAST reaffirmed CAST’s commitment to fostering international engineering cooperation and shared CAST’s vision for the ECBAP International Programme Office to serve as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and resource mobilization. Dr Peggy Oti-Boateng, Executive Director of African Academy of Science (AAS), underlined the role of scientific excellence and engineering education in driving capacity building and technological advancement, pledging AAS’s support in research collaboration and knowledge dissemination.
The meeting concluded with a summary and forward-looking remarks by Mr. Martin Manuhwa, WFEO Chair of Capacity Building Committee, who expressed appreciation for the constructive dialogue and reaffirmed the collective commitment to the success of ECBAP.
The successful launch of ECBAP marks a significant milestone in international collaboration to build inclusive, resilient, and future-ready engineering capacity for Africa.
For more information:
The WFEO Engineering Capacity Building for Africa Program leaflet
World Engineering Day 2025 main event in UNESCO HQ
APR
2025