GE Launches the First GE Africa Learning Advisory Board with Focus on Local Technical Skills Development

17 December 2013
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GE Africa (Lagos)
press release
  • The GE Africa Learning Advisory Board will provide strategic direction and advice on GE Africa's local skills development strategy.
  • The GE Africa Learning Advisory Board is a First for GE and a first for Africa. It brings together diverse members from both business and academia from GE, Africa, Europe and America.
  • The GE Africa Learning Advisory Board will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and work with learning institutions on curricula and skills development.

Nairobi, Kenya; December 17 2013 GE Africa has today in Nairobi launched the first GE Africa Learning Advisory Board that will provide thought leadership and support for GE's Africa's talent and skills development strategy. Kenya's Principal Secretary for Science and Technology Professor Colletta Suda officiated at the launch at the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi Kenya. The Board which brings together 15 members drawn from GE, Africa, Europe and America will mainly focus on local national technical and engineering skills development across Africa.

GE Africa has aggressive growth plans for the continent focused on local innovation, partnerships and investing in local presences in its businesses in power, healthcare, rail and oil and gas. President and CEO, GE Africa, Jay Ireland said "this board is a first for GE and testament to our commitment to developing skilled talent for GE and for Africa for now and for the future. This is a partnership that leverages the best of all its members-GE's long history in training and skills development; homegrown knowledge and experience from African academia and the best in practice from across the globe."

Speaking during the launch Prof. Suda said, "My ministry is fully aware of the vital role that technical skills will play in the future of this country especially as we venture into the world of extractive mining and gas exploration. The move by GE is a step in the right direction. As a government, we are committed to offer high quality education and technical training to our youth to enable us create more job opportunities and grow our economy.""
GE is a global leader in skills development spending $ 1 billion annually on training and education programs around the Africa. GE opened its Africa Headquarters in Nairobi in 2011 and has since then set up new offices in Senegal, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Cote D'Ivoire. The company has grown its Africa human capital base from 800 to 1600 today with plans to grow even more significantly over the next three years.

ABOUT GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter- The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving, and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com. GE Africa, a subsidiary of General Electric, Inc., delivers innovative technology solutions for regional challenges to help its customers support growth throughout the continent. In particular, GE Energy is providing a host of advanced solutions in water, oil & gas, and energy delivery technologies, with a focus on innovative localized energy solutions.

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