If the committed goal of jp.ik is to work settled on collaborative networks and synergies for the meaningful integration of technology in education, aiming to actively empowering communities around the world towards economic development and social transformation and connecting them to the world, this is the event to be!
For three days, Innovation Africa brought together Ministers of Education, ICT, Innovation, Digital Skills and Transformation and high-level Governmental Representatives from Africa, as well as key players of the industry.

Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan and Zimbabwe are among the African Countries represented in this ninth edition of Innovation Africa.
For jp.ik, Innovation Africa is the referral forum for debating, sharing and outlining possible directions through which together, government and industry, can catalyse a sustainable and inclusive development.

jp.ik aims for sustainability, for inclusion, for development; and education is an undeniable catalyst and technology can leverage this transformation. That is why, at the African Leaders Day, Ana Paulino, Pedagogy Specialist, and André Pinto, Regional Business Manager for jp.ik, went on stage to share our approach for sustainable technological projects that foster growth through education and Pedagogy’s strategic role to leverage education changemakers’ transformation, fostering professional development and social transformation of the community.

Considering this perspective, during African Leaders Day’s presentation, jp.ik took the audience into a brief journey into the Digital Literacy Programme in Kenya, highlighting the impact of ICT in teachers’ pedagogical practices.
The Digital Literacy Programme’s accomplishment comes from a committed collaborative synergy between Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Kenya, Ministry of Information, Communication Technology of Kenya, ICTA, KICD, Teachers Service Commission, Moi University and jp.ik.

The afternoons of the second and third day were fulfilled with one-one meetings between of Innovation Africa, Ministers of Education, ICT, Innovation and Digital Skills Transformation, high level governmental Representatives and industry partners. These meetings are important moments in order to share their approaches, visions, challenges, priorities, best practices and needs of the different countries represented in this event.

On the last day of Africa’s Official Ministerial Summit, jp.ik started the second round of Panel Sessions. André Pinto, Regional Business Manager, moderated the Panel Session on Investing in Africaâ€s ICTs for Digital Skills & Transformation.
Honorable Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications of Ghana, Honorable Abdullahi Bile Noor, Minister of State for Post, Telecommunications & Technology of Somalia, Honorable Mamadi Camara, Deputy Minister of Information & Communications of Sierra Leone, and His Excellency Prof. Pedro Teta, Executive Director Sovereign Wealth Fund  & Former State Secretary for ICT of Angola, committed to share the challenges, priorities and needs regarding this topic, joined this Panel Session on the need of competences aiming to respond the inevitable and undeniable digital transformation.

In short, if the purpose of participating in this type of events is to trigger cooperative networks and collective effort for the meaningful integration of technology in education, Innovation Africa is, without a doubt, the event to be, connect, and engage.

From November 28 to November 30, Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, hosted the 8^th edition of Innovation Africa, which is a ministerial-level forum with a focus on education and technology This event, which is considered Africaâ€s Official Ministerial Forum, was patronized by the President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Minister of Education Paul Mavima.
In this three-day event, Industry partners had the opportunity to participate in pre-scheduled meetings and committed engagement with ministers and senior government officials from over 40 countries. Countries represented at this event include, for example, South Africa, Angola, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Lesotho, Ghana, Mozambique, Kenya, Senegal and Zambia.
Therefore, Innovation Africa, which started in 2012, joins leading international Information and Communication technology (ICT) and education investors to meet and debate business with education ministers from across Sub-Saharan Africa. By hosting this event for the second time, Zimbabwe expects the country will benefit and move towards digitization in line with global trends.

In the opening ceremony of this Summit, the President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa highlighted that young people should be equipped with 21^st century skills for them to participate in economic activities and sustainably contribute to global value chains. In addition, the President of Zimbabwe remembers thatthe successful delivery of information communication technologies (ICTs) in African education systems is key in driving the continent’s economic development.
In his speech, the President of Zimbabwe stressed the need of allocating“more resources towards digital literacy programmes, to provide smart e-learning devices to learners, train educators in new technologies” and added how “innovations have the ability to unlock human capital and harness the immense potential of participants. Africa should live up to its billing as the world’s emerging economic powerhouse through appropriately nurturing and rewarding young innovative talent”. 

On the first day, known as the African Leaders Day, Nick Broda took the stage to share some lessons learned in the implementation of large-scale technology-based projects in Africa. In this presentation, also participated the Deputy Minister of Education and Human Development of Mozambique Armindo Ngunga who presented the educational project of his country to an audience of African leaders.

On the last day of this reference event, André Pinto moderated the panel of questions and answers dedicated to the theme “The binomial digital technology-digital literacy for African Students”. In this panel participated the Minister of Education of Cape Verde, Dr. Amadeu Cruz, the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Sport of Equatorial Guinea Jesus Engonga Ndong, the Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Malawi Bright Msaka, the Deputy Minister of Education and Human Development of Mozambique Dr. Armindo Ngunga and the Minister of Education of Swaziland Lady Howard Mabuza.

Innovation Africa was the stage for the launching of the “Global Education Monitoring Report 2019 – Migration, Displacement and Education: Building Bridges, not Walls” that demonstratesthe difference between creating a path of frustration and defining a strategy to pave the way for cohesion and peace. 

Briefly, Innovation Africa is undoubtedly the event to be at, if the purpose is to talk about and reflect on global trends†topics, such as investment in education and the development of e-skills.

“Educando el presente, conectando al futuro” was the theme chosen for this International Encounter promoted by Virtual Educa, which is already in its 20th edition.
This great five-day International Meeting dedicated to Innovation for Education brought together members of Latin American governments in the areas of Education and Information and Communication Technologies, academic experts in these areas of action, teachers and educators, as well as major world players in the sector.

For jp.ik, Latin America continues to be a strategically important region in the context of business development and, therefore, participation in this type of events with great projection in this region is proportionately relevant.
In fact, and recalling the words of Jorge Sá Couto, Chairman of jp.ik, “our path towards internationalization has started in the region of Latin America, one of the most active regions in terms of the integration of ICT in education, and with which we maintain a close relationship. The tablets and laptops purpose-built for education appear more and more in classrooms, but there is still a lot to do and the teacher training for optimal use of technologies in a learning context is one of the areas to invest.“
For five days, the jp.ik booth was attended by governmental representatives from Education and Information and Communication Technologies, potential private partners for innovation in Education, academic experts, teachers, educators and students.

The Opening Ceremony of this XX International Meeting of Virtual Educa was one of the highlights of this event and the hosts of this Session were the Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Argentina Alejandro Finocchiaro; the Head of Government of the City of Buenos Aires Horacio Rodrígues Larreta and the Secretary-General of Virtual Educa José María Antón.

In his speech, José María Antón recalled that the purpose of the international meetings promoted by Virtual Educa is “to boost innovation in Education with the aim of promoting social transformation and sustainable development.”
The Secretary-General of Virtual Educa also emphasized the importance of technology in the context of Education: “technological advancement translates into what a computer can do, that is, evolve from an Information and Knowledge Society to a Society of the Imagination and of Creativity.”

For Alejandro Finocchiaro, “education builds wealth and promotes economic, cultural, educational and moral development.” As for the Virtual Educa International Meeting in Argentina, the Minister of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Argentina points out that this is an opportunity for Argentina to “dialogue with the experiences of other countries. The changes are global and public policies are more effective with international cooperation.” 

Horacio Rodríguez Larreta recalled that “if we think of children who are in primary school today, when they finish school they will have jobs that do not yet exist today. And, therefore, education must innovate and be updated at the same pace.”

Parallel to the XX International Meeting of Virtual Educa was held the IX Multilateral Forum on Education and Innovation whose main purpose is to stimulate spaces for reflection and analysis of the educational panorama of the XXI century with a focus on innovation as a strategic pillar for inclusion and sustainable development.

jp.ik participated in the second panel of the third day of the event dedicated to the theme “Public-private cooperation in Education and Innovation”; thus taking advantage of this opportunity to share the technology-based education projects successfully implemented in this region of Latin America, but also in the African region.

In this session moderated by Pablo Langa, Managing Partner of EDT Partners, also participated Mariana Maggio, Senior Teacher Engagement Manager LATAM of Microsoft Argentina; Michael Harrison, Global Manager, Intel Education / Software; Sergio Ramos of GENIUS PLAZA and Jorge Yzusqui, General Manager of the Innova Schools network of Peruvian colleges.

Virtual Educa is a multidisciplinary initiative whose focus is the promotion of good practices in Innovation applied to Education with the aim of actively contributing to social transformation and sustainable development.
Created in 2001 by the Organization of American States (OAS), this multilateral initiative is a forum for the exchange of experiences and good practices in the context of building authentic knowledge societies.

For the second time, Colombia hosted the International Meeting of Virtual Educa that this year marked its eighteenth edition. From June 13^rd to 16^th Bogotá was the capital of Innovation for Education as a catalyst for social transformation.

The Senator of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, principal mentor of the QUIPUS project, Nelida Sifuentes, also attended the jp.ik†s stand, taking the opportunity to address the surprising evolution of this educational project implemented in Bolivia.
During this brief visit, Senator Nélida Sifuentes also received the new edition of the magazine Inspire as a sign of gratitude for her collaboration for reserving some of her time for an interview through which explains the evolution of the Bolivian educational project and evolution Of the Bolivian Society in terms of digital literacy.

A delegation of governmental agents from Peru also visited jp.ikâ€s stand with the goal of holding a brief meeting through which they could learn about our technological equipment designed specifically for Education and better understand the articulation and importance of the Inspiring Knowledge Ecosystem In the process of designing and developing a national education initiative.