Africa seeks money for AIST December 28, 2006 | posted by Nigerian Muse (Archives)

 

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The Punch, Monday, January 10, 2005

Africa seeks N665bn to train 5,000 engineers, scientists

Oluyinka Akintunde and Tobi Soniyi, Abuja

Finance Ministers and the business community in the sub-Saharan Africa are to raise $5 billion (N665 billion) for the establishment of four African Institutes of Science and Technology.

A significant amount of the funds for the establishment of the institutes is expected to be raised in Abuja, Nigeria on January 31, 2005, where African finance ministers representing their countries, the business community and international donors are expected to gather.

The AIST, which is the first major initiative of the Nelson Mandela Foundation for Knowledge Building and Advancement of Science and Technology in sub-Saharan Africa, is to be established as a worl-class institution to produce outstanding scientists and engineers annually to accelerate the development of the region.

Addressing newsmen on the Foundation and the AIST initiative on Friday in Abuja, the World Bank Institute’s Senior Economist, Mr. Hippolyte Fofack, disclosed that the proposed four AIST regional institutes would produce 5,000 world-class scientists and engineers every year.

“Their shared mission will be to continually create and adapt knowledge with a view to transforming local communities and improving the human condition across sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.

Fofack disclosed that an Endowment Fund for Excellence has been established by the Foundation and would rely on the generosity and contributions from both public and private sources, corporate and individual benefactors worldwide.

“Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has written to all African ministers of finance and they are all expected at the African fund raising in Abuja along with the business community and key business figures in a number of countries, who are expected to make pledges or contributions,” he said.

“To be part of the event are the African Development Bank, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and donor countries and agencies. From the estimate we have we would need $480 million (about N63.84 billion) for the four AISTs.

“But overall, we are aiming at raising an endowment of $5 billion. Why this amount? Because at full capacity, the operating cost for the four campuses may be around $200 million each. So, if you have an endowment fund of $5 billion, we would have enough interest on our endowment to fully cover annual operating expenses,” said Fofack.

Fofack said Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania have shown interest to host the AISTs.

“We are hoping that by 2007, we would have the first technology park/campus that may be in Arusha in Tanzania. President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria has expressed his own interest in having one of the parks/campuses in Abuja.

“President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has also signified his interest to have one of the campuses in South Africa. However, they would all bid and compete for the technology parks/campuses. This is because we have to be transparent,” he explained.

“The game plan between now and 2010, when we would have all the four centres or campuses, would be to have such amount for our endowment.

“However, since we are going through a sequence for the first AIST, we may be aiming at an initial sum of $1 billion (about N133 billion) to establish it. Then, we may allow our graduating engineers from the first campus to build the second and others as a practical training, which might bring down the entire cost,” he added.

Fofack disclosed that the low number of scientists and engineers in the sub-Saharan Africa motivated the establishment of AISTs.

 

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Guardian News

January 11, 2005

World Bank, professionals plan capacity building facility for Nigeria, others
From Mathias Okwe, Abuja

THE World Bank, African scientists and professionals in the Diaspora as well as their counterparts at home are now partnering towards the establishment of a world-class African Institute for Science and Technology (AIST).

The institute also known as Nelson Mandela Foundation is aimed at fostering African economic development through industrialisation.

The AIST would form the nucleus of a $5 billion Nelson Mandela Foundation for Knowledge Building and the Advancement of Science and Technology which envisions the transformation of Sub-Sahara Africa's industrial and economic landscape.

The World Bank Senior Economist, Mr. Hippolyte Fofack, who briefed the press in Abuja, at the weekend, on preparations towards the formal launch of the Foundation slated for January 30-31 in Abuja, said that the public-private sector initiative was all that the continent needed to bridge the science and technology gap between the region and the rest of the world.

He said: "Conceived and designed by African scientists and professionals, this initiative is rooted in a strong public-private and industry-academy partnership for long-term overall sustainability. It is a global effort to foster Sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth and diversification, industrial development, and employment creation through the promotion of excellence in science, engineering and their applications based on competitive processes, transparency and accountability," he added.

According to Fofack, AIST, which would run four campuses (one in each region) would produce "the critical mass and then ensure a continuing supply of outstanding scientists and engineers to accelerate the development of Sub-Saharan Africa."
 

Designed to commence the first intake in 2007, the AIST would be expected to produce 500 world-class scientists and engineers in various specialties annually, who would spread across the continent with the mandate to transform local communities.

Fofack said that the global support for the initiative has been overwhelming and therefore called upon all well-meaning Africans at home and in the Diaspora to buy into the project by contributing to the foundation and mobilising others to do same.

The effective running of the institute, he said was even more compelling when the average number of Africa's 83 scientists and engineers per million was compared to the figure in other parts of the world. He said North Africa had 423, other developing countries across the world had 514, Asia (excluding Japan) had 783, while industrialised nations had 1102.

The AIST, he said has been modelled after the very successful Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) as well as, leading American institutions of excellence in science and engineering and other models of excellence in science and engineering around the world.

In addition to the AIST, the Sub-Saharan African Learning Network would be established to enhance broad-based knowledge creation, dissemination and flows across Sub-Saharan African countries through continuing education and the African Knowledge Forum.

He explained that in order to ensure sustainability and independence from political interference, the promoters of the AIST have based it on a not-for-profit foundation model to enhance the promotion of excellence through competitiveness, transparency and accountability.

In addition, he said there would be strong involvement of the private sector as well as a consortia of Friends of Africa Institute who would ensure that the objectives of the organisation was not jeopardised by any form of external interference.

Transfer of technology, which has eluded Africa over the years, Mr. Fofack said, would be achieved through the AIST, as a strong link would be established between African scientists and engineers in the Diaspora and African-based scientists.

Already, 40 key scientific and research fields have been identified. They include: Mathematical Sciences, Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, Applied and Theoretical Statistics, Medical Science, Theoretical Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Biology and Biochemistry, and Computer Sciences.

Others are Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Robotic, Industrial and Manufacturing, Mining and Mineral Engineering, Structural Engineering and Mechatronics, Earth Sciences and Geophysics, Energy and Power Engineering, Information Technology, Aerospace Science and Engineering, Management and Financial Engineering, Pharmacology and Drug Industry, Ethics and Philosophy, and Marine Science.

The Core promoters of the initiative include several renowned African scientists and engineers, diplomats, industrialists, staff of international multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (ADB), Sub-regional development banks and institutions, as well as, serving cabinet ministers.

They include the Managing Director of the World Bank, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, the bank's Vice President Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, Dr. Gobind Nankani, Board Chairman, the National Society of Black Engineers, Georgia, U S A, Prof. Gary May, Director, African Department of the IMF, Dr. Abdoulaye Bio-Tchane, head of Investment Banking, Credit Suisse First Bostion, Adebayo Ogunlesi and Nigeria's Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

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Africans in Diaspora Set Up N600bn Institute
From Kunle Aderinokun in Abuja, 01.10.2005
This DAY

Africans in Diaspora Set Up Efforts to bridge  the digital divide
between Africans and the rest of the world will soon come into
fruitition as the continent's scientists and professionals in the
Diaspora as well as their counterparts back home have teamed up  to
establish a world-class African Institute for Science and Technology
(AIST).

The insititute which will form the nucleus of a N660 billion (an
equivalent of $5 billion) Nelson Mandela Foundation for Knowledge
Building and the Advancement of Science and Technology.

The idea of  AIST  Institute was mooted with a view to fostering
economic development through industrialisation.

Core promoters of the initiative include  renowned African
scientists and engineers, diplomats, industrialists, staff of
international multilateral organisations such as the World Bank,
International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (ADB)
Sub-regional development banks and institutions as well as, some
serving cabinet ministers. These  include Managing Director, World
Bank, Dr. Mamphela Ramphele;  World Bank Vice President,  Poverty
Reduction and Economic Management, Dr. Gobind Nankani;  Board
Chairman,  National Society of Black Engineers, Georgia, U S A,
Prof. Gary May;  Director, African Department of the IMF, Dr.
Abdoulaye Bio-Tchane;  Head of Investment Banking, Credit Suisse
First Bostion,  Hon Adebayo Ogunlesi and; Financeb Minister, Dr
(Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Speaking with newsmen at the weekend in Abuja at press briefing to
herald the formal launch of the Foundation slated for the end of the
month,  Senior Economist, World Bank, Mr. Hippolyte Fofack, said the
public-private sector initiative   was necessary  to bridge the
digital divide between the region and the rest of the world.

He said  it was "conceived and designed by African scientists and
professionals,  and the  initiative is rooted in a strong public-
private and industry-academy partnership for long-term overall
sustainability.  It is a global effort to foster Sub-Saharan
Africa's economic growth and diversification, industrial
development, and employment creation through the promotion of
excellence in science, engineering and their applications based on
competitive processes, transparency and accountability".
He added that,  "AIST will produce "the critical mass and then
ensure a continuing supply of outstanding scientists and engineers
to accelerate the development of Sub-Saharan Africa."

Source: THIS DAY, Nigeria

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