ZCZC
BCN-18
AFRICA-WORLDBANK-S.KOREA-TECHNOLOGY-AGREEMENT
World Bank, South Korea announce 3.8-mln USD grant to boost science in
Africa
NAIROBI, Nov. 24, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – The World Bank and South Korea on
Friday signed a 3.8 million U.S. dollar grant agreement to facilitate
development of cutting edge skills in scientific and technological fields in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
The World Bank said the grant is part of the 9 million dollar 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,” said Sajitha Bashir, World Bank’s
Education Practice Manager for eastern and southern Africa in a statement
issued in Nairobi.
The Korean grant that will be managed by the World Bank as a Trust Fund
will be implemented by the 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.
“PASET is delighted to receive this contribution from the government of
Korea, which marks the launch of new phase for the RSIF,” said Amina Mohamed,
Kenya’s cabinet secretary for education and chairperson of the PASET
governing council.
“We deeply appreciate Korea’s support to PASET and Africa in recent years
and look forward to continued long-term mutual partnership towards building
African capacity in science, technology and innovation to propel the
continent’s transformation,” she added.
The World Bank and Korean government in May signed a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) where Seoul agreed to set up a 10 million dollars 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.
BSS/XINHUA/HR/1105