ACBF
takes part in the 12th General Conference
of the Association of African Universities
(AAU)
On
4-9 May 2009, in Abuja, Nigeria, a
delegation of the African Capacity
Building Foundation (ACBF) took part
in the 12th General Conference of the
Association of African Universities
(AAU). The ACBF delegation comprised
the following persons: Edwin N. Forlemu,
Executive Secretary a.i.; Emmie Wade,
Program Officer, Training Operations
Department; and Dickson Antwi, Program
Officer, Operations Department III.
The conference, hosted by the University
of Abuja and the University of Ilorin,
was held at the Abuja International
Conference Centre. Honorable Aishatu
Jibril Dukku, Minister of State for
Education of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, officially opened the conference.
The keynote addresses were delivered
by Dr. Kevin Urama, Executive Director
of the African Technology Policy Studies
Network, Kenya; and by Prof. Jeffrey
Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute
of Columbia University.
The
theme of the conference was “Sustainable
Development in Africa: The Role of
Higher Education”. The theme
had three main components: (i) teaching
and learning; (ii) research and development;
and (iii) engagement of the community.
- Teaching
and learning focused on
the imperative need for communication
and
for higher education institutions
to train teachers and decision
makers
who are sensitized and able to promote
the goals of sustainable development.
- The research and development component explored the need for the
African higher
education research agenda to focus
more on development-related needs,
rather on purely academic and scientific
objectives. Forms of collaboration,
for example, between higher education
and industry, would enable a focused
approach to addressing critical development
challenges facing the continent;
- Engagement of the community has too often been an academic exercise
that enables students to undertake
obligatory activities within defined
communities for award of marks. However,
given limited state funding and other
constraints, higher education institutions
now need to have an extended function
that fosters development–oriented
activities.
Edwin. N. Forlemu, ACBF Executive
Secretary a.i., delivered a goodwill
address at the Opening Ceremony. He
noted that, “our universities
are the rock on which we must build
a better and more solid future for
Africa – for they will be the
source of new ideas and new leaders
for the future. The quality of training
and research in higher institutions
in Africa needs to be enhanced substantially
to enable universities to respond more
adequately to the challenges of the
21st Century.” Dr. Forlemu added
that, “in our 18 years of work,
we have learnt some crucial lessons.
Firstly, we have noted the critical
role African ownership and leadership
plays in the development process. Secondly,
we have witnessed the centrality of
capacity in the development process
- and the need to focus on enhancing
the effectiveness of academic institutions,
which provide the requisite environment
for nurturing pools of qualified expertise.
Thirdly, we have recognized the critical
role of a partnership approach in addressing
capacity problems. Finally, we have
noted the long-term nature of capacity-building
interventions in institutions.”
Dr. Forlemu emphasized that “our
universities must become the driving
forces of Africa’s renaissance.
Let our universities be the repositories
of new ideas and the free exchange
thereof so that the quiet force of
our ideas may unleash the spring of
new approaches to sustainable development,
for we shall be judged not by the length
of the prefixes to our names, but by
the depth of the ideas that underlie
our aims”.
ACBF has been supporting the AAU since
2005, when the ACBF Executive Board
approved a US$2.8 million grant for
the institutional strengthening of
the AAU. Dating back to 1992, ACBF
has, through partnerships, committed
over US$91 million to 73 higher education
institutions and US$44 million to non-degree
training programs. The projects and
programs are largely focused on increasing
the pool of skilled professionals in
the fields of economics, public policy,
public sector management, financial
management, and human resources management
at targeted higher education institutions.
OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE
12TH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATION
OF AFRICAN UNIVERSTIES, ABUJA NIGERIA,
4 MAY 2009
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