English 
Under the auspices of Professor Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, Dr. Saeed Allam, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, participated today in the activities of the “The Future Belongs to Africa” Forum in its second edition, which is organized by Alexandria University, represented by the University Centre for Professional Development (UCCD), in cooperation With Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Senghor University, and will be held from February 19-21 at Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
In his speech, the Vice President of the University stressed the interest of Alexandria University in well-preparing its graduates from various faculties to qualify them for the labour market to keep pace with its changing job requirements. He explained that Alexandria University is working to bridge the gap between the academic and professional aspects, thus it established university centres for professional development to provide training courses, workshops, and training opportunities during undergraduate years and after graduation. He pointed out that these centres provided professional development services to more than 20,000 students and graduates over the past three years.
Dr. Ayman Farid, Assistant Minister of Higher Education for Strategic Planning, indicated that the forum seeks to bridge the gap between higher education and the African labour market, and aims to identify the challenges related to providing sustainable job opportunities for Egyptian and African youth. It also supports the culture of entrepreneurship and free enterprise in line with Egypt’s 2030 vision to improve the standard of living for all social groups by providing good work, training, refining skills, encouraging scientific research and innovation, and developing unified strategies to combat unemployment and labour shortages among young people. Dr. Ayman Farid reviewed the history of establishing professional development and entrepreneurship centres in Egyptian universities from 2012 until now, explaining that Alexandria University was one of the first Egyptian universities to work in this direction, along with the universities of Mansoura and Ain Shams.
During today's activities, the forum addresses 3 sessions: Education in the Digital Age (Creating Good Job Opportunities), Entrepreneurship and Independent Education (Future in light of the Latest Technologies), and the Future of Employment in Africa (Strengthening Human Capital in Africa).
Among the participants in the forum activities were Ms. Heba El-Rafei, Acting Head of the External Relations Sector at the BA, Professor Thierry Verdel, President of Senghor University, representatives of the various sectors of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Senghor University, and Dr. Aisha Hamdy, Director of the University Centre for Professional Development at the Faculty of Business, and the regional representative of the project.
On the sidelines of the forum, an employment fair was opened with the participation of more than 15 companies to showcase the latest job and training opportunities.
