Toward a Transformational Africa-U.S. STEM University Initiative Proceedings of a Workshop (2022) / Chapter Skim
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Toward a Transformational Africa-U.S. STEM University Initiative
Toward a Transformational Africa-U.S. STEM University Initiative
Pages 1-26
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Inspired by STEM's potential to tackle African and global challenges, a group of academic leaders has come together to explore a synergistic approach to transform African institutions of higher education and increase the global engagement of U.S. institutions.
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introduced the context of the proposed initiative. In 2001, she recounted, Nelson Mandela called for world-class African institutes of science and technology to transform the future of the continent.
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FIGURE 1 A decade of partnerships with Africa.
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moderated a panel composed of presenters from universities, government, and the Network of African Science Academies. According to Barnabas Nawangwe (Makerere University, Uganda)
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This, in turn, provides African universities with confidence and authority to direct a partnership in a manner beneficial to them, he added. Elaborating on the role of science academies to build research capacity, Ms.
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Dr. Jones drew from his own global research experience to ask how universities translate their physical, intellectual, educational, and professional assets into economic and social prosperity for communities at scale and in a sustainable manner.
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A potential partnership with Ford Motor Company, which is headquartered in Michigan and operates in South Africa, is aimed at developing local African talent, rather than exporting talent. The mission of the Institute of International Education (IIE)
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. IIE manages exchange programs in Africa, including the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, the Fulbright Program, and the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP)
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Khumbah explained, is that if African universities are supported with interconnected activities under the STEM umbrella, the research enterprise will grow, more students will be prepared, and research collaborations will be strengthened. A strengthened STEM workforce and ecosystem would support growth in Africa, as well as increase African contributions to address global challenges.
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KEYNOTE: BREAKING ACADEMIC SILOS Prabhas Moghe (Rutgers University, New Jersey) expressed the support of his institution and others that are part of the Big Ten Plus.4 He noted that a bidirectional partnership with Africa is at the heart of the Rutgers aspiration to educate the next generation to address global challenges.
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As one potential model, he highlighted an innovation academy at Rutgers that connects like-minded teams within and across disciplines and suggested connecting the innovation hubs in academic hotspots in Africa and in the United States. BUILDING AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES FOR EXCELLENCE IN STEM Panel moderator Winston (Wole)
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commented that a lack of critical STEM human capacity contributes to the persistence of poverty in Africa despite the continent's rich natural resources. Contributing factors include fewer STEM programs; lack of supporting infrastructure; a reliance on donor-funded, rather than internally demand-driven, research; weak academic-industrial partnerships and collaborations; and a lack of mentor ship.
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He urged African governments to set a goal of investment of at least 1 percent of their GDP by 2030, with support and encouragement by international partners and the African diaspora. Internal investment and utilization of research will motivate African universities toward excellence in research, leading to acceleration in development, he concluded.
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noted that Central Africa has generally not been included in other regional and global efforts, despite these countries' needs and potential. Only one of the World Bank's Centers of Excellence is in Central Africa, and no Central African university is among the top 100 African universities, he stated.
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researchers to address global development challenges, particularly when the grants awarded by other U.S. government agencies preclude funding international researchers.
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Dr. Fortenberry suggested that digital technologies, such as remotely operated labs and use of cell phones for data acquisition, offer useful opportunities on both sides.
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How can African universities play on a level field with U.S. universities?
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Dr. Uwamariya said Rwanda is proud to be part of regional initiatives to build capacity and contribute to others, particularly the PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund.8 She noted that PASET is unique because of the lead roles of African governments in creating and running it.
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The nation invests 0.8 percent of its GDP in science and innovation; although less than the declared national goal of 2 percent, national investment has increased. Additional investments in science, technology, and innovation are needed to achieve Kenya's Vision 2030, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and the African Union's Agenda 2063, he said.
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He recommended investing in STEM education in earlier grades to prepare students for later STEM success. As a pan-African association, AAS has focused many of its efforts on early-career scientists, including Climate Impact Research Capacity Leadership Enhancement, the African Postdoctoral Training Initiative, the recently ended Future Leaders – African Independent R esearchers, and the newly launched U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine project in partnership with the U.S.
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Projects that have involved African countries include energy modeling and systems analysis, solar power, and geothermal technology. Before joining DOE, Dr.
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Transformations in higher education, she continued, involve both individuals and institutions. For example, in Liberia, USAID supported medical specialty training to deal with Ebola that helped the country address COVID-19 more effectively because supports were in place.14 Another p roject in Liberia built on this effort to create a public-private hub for research utilization.15 Other USAID efforts at African universities have supported local innovation (Uganda)
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In 2019, the bank partnered with the African Union Commission and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa to launch a $300 million fund to support STEM skills. It has also provided funding to make the Pan-African University a world-class regional institution, as well as to the Nelson Mandela Institution, African Economic Research Consortium, African Capacity Building Foundation, and Think Tank Initiative.18 Beyond these efforts, Dr.
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Gousev said he sees tremendous potential in machine learning technology, both because of the quality of the workforce and because of the need for data from Africa. In terms of financing, Dr.
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Bashir reminded attendees that the workshop was developed with a very initial concept of what a partnership could look like, built on a vision to foster universities of research excellence in Africa that can contribute to economic transformation. As noted throughout the sessions, she said, "The philosophy that has to permeate our work is one of bidirectional and mutually beneficial partnerships; a focus on STEM research and education with three pillars of institutional transformation, mobility, and network building; and co-design through consultations, co-funding, and strong African leadership." She welcomed the resounding support for the initiative, as well as cautions about the need for mutual transformation and for sustainability.
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