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At the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis, therewas strong consensus on the need to accelerate the pace of buildingthe global information society, based on local, national, regionaland international activities. In that regard, ECA will be working closelywith AU on the African Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy,which was jointly launched in Tunis.I am also pleased to note that the Tunis Summit demonstrated MemberStates’ appreciation for ECA’s support in building an informationsociety in Africa based on its strong partnerships both inside and outsideAfrica. It is clear that your ministerial colleagues in charge of thisportfolio now constitute a strong advocacy group to champion ICTissues in their respective countries as well as collectively on the continent.This is most significant as 2006 is going to be an important yearfor implementing our national and regional information and communicationtechnology (ICT) action plans.The Tunis meeting serves as an instructive background to the themeof this summit given the central role of information and ICT in educationand culture. The role of education and training in the promotionof economic, social and political development cannot be overemphasised.They play a crucial role in achieving higher economicgrowth by providing the economy with the required skilled humanresources. Education and training also contribute to the health of nations,cultural development, democratic values, political stability andnation building.This is why there is a strong correlation between the standard of educationand training and the level of economic and social development.Indeed, evidence from around the globe shows that investment in humancapital through high levels of education, especially for women,stimulates growth and has tremendous spillover effects.There are huge challenges at all levels of education and training inAfrica in terms of access, quality, relevance and equity. Although enrolmentat all levels of education in sub-Saharan Africa has improvedsince independence, it is still very low. Pupil/teacher ratio and thenumber of untrained teachers have risen, while the number of textbooksper pupil and laboratory equipment has declined. The qualityof education in higher institutes of learning has also declined due toa number of factors, such as inadequate textbooks and journals, poorIntegrating Africa143