HP Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and UNESCO have joined forces to launch a new education project aimed at alleviating the loss of intellectual capacity in Africa.
The project, called “Piloting solutions for reversing ‘Brain Drain’ for Africa”, supports both HP’s and UNESCO’s goals of strengthening intellectual and scientific capabilities in Ghana, Senegal and Zimbabwe. The project was launched in Paris in 20 November, with an agreement signed by senior representatives from HP, UNESCO and the African Ministries of Education.
|
Strengthening networks
The aim of the project, which will run for two years, is two-fold. Targeting university laboratories and research centres, it will reinforce national capabilities by developing and strengthening networks between experts working away from their own countries and university students back home. It will also help to re-establish links between university faculties by promoting mobility schemes through grid computing centres.
Arnaud Pierson, University Relations programme manager for HP EMEA said plans include creating a large database of students and professors and providing them with internet connections to enable them to maintain contact.
“We’ve had strong guidance from both UNESCO and the African Ministry of Education and feel that providing this technology will greatly enhance these countries’ intellectual capabilities,” he said.
’Projects like these are extremely important for both us and the countries we’re helping. From our point of view, education is our future and we are always looking for talent. Helping different countries develop their intellectual capabilities helps us find sources of talent in the future. We, and indeed other corporations, need to work more closely with educational establishments to achieve success for everyone.”
|
Long-standing relationship
HP EMEA has a long-standing relationship with UNESCO, which began ten years ago. For the past five years, we have been working with UNESCO on two extensive programmes: a higher education programme to prevent ‘brain drain’ in south east Europe and a digital and printing programme for the World Heritage Centre.
This new project builds on the success of the partnership with UNESCO on the ‘brain drain’ project in south east Europe, launched in March 2003. At the outset, four countries – Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro – were chosen to receive HP materials, engineering support and money to enhance their educational and intellectual capabilities. The project has now been expanded to include another four countries.
|
|
|
Global Citizenship Reports 2006 (*) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Printable version
