African technology and science students are set to benefit from a $3.8M grant to facilitate development of cutting edge skills in the two fields.
This follows the signing of a grant agreement between the World Bank and the South Korean government.
The World Bank said the grant is part of the $9M pledge by South Korea to support the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) aimed at building world class capacity in science and technology across Africa.
“Africa’s scientific and technical capacity will be key drivers for its economic growth and the RSIF is an important initiative on the continent that will help build highly qualified local talent as well as strong institutional capacity in a sustainable manner,” World Bank’s Education Practice Manager for eastern and southern Africa Sajitha Bashir said.
The grant that will be managed by the World Bank as a Trust Fund will be implemented by Nairobi-based International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) to support technical skills upgrade in Africa under the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences Engineering and Technology (PASET) initiative.
Kenya’s Education mister Amina Mohamed, who was at the signing of the grant agreement, said African nations looked forward to continued long-term mutual partnerships towards building African capacity in science, technology and innovation.
This she said would “propel the continent’s transformation.”
The World Bank and the Korean government in May signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) where Seoul agreed to set up a $10M trust fund at the Bretton Woods Institution to help strengthen Africa’s technical and scientific capacity.
This funding will facilitate award of scholarships and research for university students and faculty members to boost their competence in areas that can transform Africa including renewable energy, big data, artificial intelligence, climate change and food security.
