...FOR AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION

New York City, September 16, 2005 -- The Ford Foundation hosted an impressive ceremony where an announcement was made that $200 million will be made available to build the capacity of African universities over five years. Setting the tone for the event, the Secretary General for the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, stated that the needs of Africa are so monumental that ?no single institution can meet them all.? Yet, he added there are significant positive developments going on in Africa that are ushering in stability which in turn promotes development.

On that note, the funders of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa picked seven African nations that have demonstrated significant achievement in stability, education and commitment to poverty eradication to be the beneficiaries of the $200 million grant. The countries are: Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. The funding partners are the Carnegie Corporation, Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Three African Presidents were invited to speak in person and they were Ghana?s John A. Kufuor, President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya and His Excellency Armando Guebuza of Mozambique. President Kufuor expressed his profound gratitude on behalf of the people of Ghana and added that he was glad Ghana is one of the select seven countries. In an excellent and succinct speech to the august gathering of University Vice Chancellors, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, NGO and Foundation executives, Mr. Kufuor emphasized that ?higher education is the key to launch Africa into a competitive position in the era of globalization.? He brought the reality of educational management of a developing country to the North American audience by showing the challenge of governments to reach an equitable cost sharing with students when the reality is that the majority of the higher education beneficiaries simply cannot pay much. The situation, he added, is compounded by rising rate of qualified students who simply cannot be absorbed by the existing public institutions of higher learning. In the end the President enjoyed the wild applause that followed his relevant acceptance speech and flashed a healthy smile for one more victory for Ghana. The grant will translate into increased IT capacity, training, physical infrastructure development, and university education for thousands of students.

Kofi A. Boateng

Chief Operating Officer

The Africa-America Institute

PIC: President of Ghana John Kufuor speaks at the Ford Foundation announcement of a $200 million commitment over five years to strengthen higher education in seven African countries Friday, Sept. 16, 2005 in New York. The countries to receive funding include Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. (AP Photo/Adam Rountree)