1. Meeting with Prof. Nkuhlu and Mr. Monakhisi		4. The Netherlands Meeting
2. Meeting with Dr. Chasia		5. Wageningen Sandwich PhD Fellowships
3. Invitations to Rwanda, Algeria and Nigeria		6. Conference on Partnership & Investment Opportunities in Hamburg, Germany, 15th February 2005

1. Meeting with Professor Nkuhlu and Mr. Monakhisi

Professor Nkuhlu gave an update to NEPAD Council members on the African forum meeting which he attended at the department of state. He also gave us an update on continuing efforts by the steering committee on African development issues.

On the working relationship between NEPAD and NEPAD council, the professor suggested that each NEPAD Council commission or project task force should interact with the relevant NEPAD advisor. If there is need for meetings between NEPAD and NEPAD Council members on specific projects, NEPAD will pay for the heads of project task forces or commission to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, for such meetings.

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2. Meeting with Dr. Chasia

Dr. Chasia was in DC to meet with the World Bank, USAID, US congressmen and other organizations to get their commitment on the funding of ICT projects in Africa. The main focus was on the funding of the e-schools initiative and the broadband infrastructure initiative to interconnect Africa with fiber optic cable. The e-schools initiative seeks to connect African elementary and secondary schools to the internet by satellite. So far, many companies have signed up to work on a pilot project that will connect up to 20 schools. On the broadband infrastructure, the e-Africa commission decided to support network development, region by region starting with East and Southern Africa. Of all the ongoing broadband infrastructure projects in Southern Africa, the e-Africa commission has made a decision to support the following: East Africa Submarine System (EASSy), COMTEL, COM7 and the Sub-Regional Information Infrastructure (SRII). The map below shows the current focus of the e-Africa commission.

Instead of continuing to pursue our own broadband infrastructure project proposal, we have agreed to work with the e-Africa commission on the projects they are already supporting. The exact nature of our involvement is yet to be determined but this may include network specification and overseeing network design.

Local content: One of the e-Africa projects that are yet to be implemented is “local content”. Dr. Chasia looks forward to NEPAD Council for a project proposal on this topic. This topic includes but not limited to the production of African music, movies, documentaries etc in Africa; the development of an American media network in Africa, methods and means of protect Africa intellectual property. If any member of NEPAD Council is interested in working on such a project and/or has ideas and thoughts on this, please let me know.

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3. Invitations to Rwanda, Algeria and Nigeria

NEPAD Council is being invited to Rwanda to provide ICT consultancy to Rwandan officials. We have also been invited to visit with the presidents of Algeria and Nigeria. The board of officers is currently communicating with government officials in the respective countries to workout the travel logistics and expectations.

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4. The Netherlands Meeting

Prof. Dr Rudy Rabbinge (dean of Wageningen graduate schools, Chairman of Inter Academic Council Study on Africa commissioned by Kofi Annan) invited NEPAD Council for a meeting held in Wageningen/Netherlands on Friday 15 October 2004. The NEPAD Council delegation was led by Dr. James Kajete. Also discussed was the proposed Continental Brain Return Project (CBRP) on how to avoid brain drain, to stimulate return of brains and the contribution of brains in Diaspora to build-up of brains in their home country.

The brain drain project discussion centered on three pillars: 1. to avoid brain drain, 2. to stimulate return of brains, 3. to stimulate and to avoid brain drain.

1. Avoid Brain Drain

On avoiding Brain Drain, Dr Rudy Rabbinge informed the delegation that Wageningen University and its research centre has a strong track record of training African people to occupy position in their home country. A key concept in this is the cascade of training from MSc-PhD and mid-career refreshment course and also the PhD sandwich model training African people that are and remain employed by an organization in their own country said Dr. Rudy Rabbinge. He continued “Trained people are part of the WUR alumni network and are also to a maximum involved in projects e.g. from European Union to sustain their functioning within their institute. We know many examples of successful careers of trained people up to directors of local research institutes, ministers in local governments, senior staff in NGO’s (UNICEF, OXFAM) and other organizations (WHO, IFDC, etc) working on the African continent”.

During our meeting information on the sandwich model and on the cascade of training was distributed on paper.

During the discussion the NEPAD council representatives apparently agreed that the sandwich model was an important tool and need to be promoted. Also discussed that tied training scholarships should be abandoned as they limit freedom of Africans to choose the subjects of study and the best institutes to follow training. Dr. Rudy Rabbinge informed the delegation that the ministers of development co-operation of 6 European countries now are discussing to untie scholarships from obligations to follow training in the same country that provides the scholarship. In Germany this tie is still very strong, in the Netherlands it is much debated.

2. Return of Brains

To stimulate return of brains it was strongly suggested to use people in the current network to try to get access to European or other funding so that people will not return empty handed but with working capital and institutional infrastructure for the project period and beyond. Linking up with the CGIAR-led sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (full title “Securing the Future for Africa’s Children”: building sustainable livelihoods through integrated agricultural research for development) is also strongly advised. The Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme is convened by FARA and NEPAD works through FARA, so there should be no problem there. Also the council should look for meetings of people and institutions that can be interested in their cause and strategically present it there. E.g. FARA meeting in Europe, Millennium Development Goal-UN task forces etc.

3. Contribution of Staying Brains

The idea of the council to provide support in terms of databases, library etc is indeed useful. An NEPAD Council International offices could be very instrumental and work as a clearing house e.g. become a reliable advisory centre on acceptance and value of African diplomas and degrees and as such support Africans in Europe, USA etc. to find appropriate jobs or access to advanced training (PhD, MBA etc).

There is also need for further study of the brain drain problem, its causes and solutions. Apparently there are no reliable statistic data available. We strongly advise to contact African Studies Centre in Leiden for information and study on brain drain issues. They may be willing to join in making a paper on the issue. We also advice to contact the African Studies Centre in Leiden for the repository database and when useful try to link up with them. We also strongly advice to contact CTA because they have preferential services for African people in terms of database, library services, financial support of travel of Africans to meetings where negotiation needs to take place but also training on how to strategically make sure that points relevant for Africa come on agendas and will be seriously discussed.

Stay and return of brains could benefit by creation of regional centers of excellence. These centers should provide a stimulating scientific environment, attract funding from donors and provide further training for Africans from the region. Staff of such centers should earn decent salaries in correspondence with their scientific output. The idea is that it will be impossible that every country is best in every expertise and can afford all infrastructures. Hence regional pooling of expertise is useful.

Example: UNB Benin has key expertise and critical mass in food and nutrition while INERA Burkina Faso has expertise and critical mass in soil and water conservation and Senegal has expertise and critical mass in veterinary sciences. Do not spend to much effort in upgrading nutrition and veterinary sciences in Burkina etc. but upgrade locally available expertise into regional centers of excellence allowing them to build upon expertise and to attract experts from outside. They can also be regionally held responsible for MSc, PhD and Post doctorate training of national African staff in their fields of expertise.

How to continue:

Make a strategic plan and do not focus too much on infrastructure and overhead. When you have a good plan money will always follow. Part of the plan should be:

A. Thematic meetings:

1. E.g. with Africa study centre on paper of brain drain

2. CTA and African Studies Centre on database and library issues

3. WUR representatives in Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme and FARA on linking up with the topic of brain drain

4. with banks to connect them with NEPAD peer review system, to build trust for investment and to convince them to invest e.g. in micro-credit

B. Advises to NEPAD on the following issues related to the recommendations of the Inter Academic Council Report on Africa:

1. Stimulate training through sandwich model & untied scholarships à make effective use of trained Africans by engaging them in supervision of PhD students

2. At policy level: Take report of inter academic council seriously and advise NEPAD on implementation through for instance FARA.

3. Get support from the outside world: Send delegations of NEPAD to contribute to G8 meetings, Millennium Development Goals taskforce, World Bank, European Union, EFARD, efforts. Try to convince the African governments that they must also show that they themselves realize the importance by dedicating a higher % of their budget to research instead of the low amount of GDP that is actually designated to research. The outside world will be most willing to co-finance but only when national governments show their priorities as well.

4. Investigate technical problems. Be sure that there will be a gross list and also make visible how they are related to political issues while on the other hand some technical problems may be disentangled from political issues.

5. Make a working programme with a number of national and European universities, regarding training, research and acquisition of funding. Try to associate the development of such a programme to the mentioned workshop or any other relevant scientific meeting associated to a policy meeting.

Concrete Actions:

1. Try to negotiate such scholarships in new projects and programmes and to lobby for such scholarships with donors (eg Nuffic).

2. Actively support the idea of centers of excellence to provide useful scientific environments for trained Africans and to have focal points of African research by Africans for Africa.

3. Lobby for investments from African governments into research and e.g. creation of centres of excellence

4. Organize a workshop on diversified African systems that are really different from South America and Asia and therefore merit an original African development concept on how to improve productivity of such systems. Use this workshop as a basis for an African-European research programme in which trained African scientists can take the lead and specific European scientists can do some backstopping and supportive research from a systems approach and from ecological literacy approach. WUR has a track record and interest in supporting such programmes and is also ready to attend such a workshop.

5. Develop a strategy to get towards a working programme with universities

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5. Wageningen Sandwich PhD Fellowships
Brain Gain by the South in a Partnership with Wageningen

What does the South want?

How to feed and employ a growing population? How to compete in world trade? Developing countries want to build their own local expertise, but face the risk of brain drain. The answer is: training Iocal experts at their home institute in a partnership with Wageningen University. That is the unique aim of the Wageningen Sandwich PhD Fellowships

What is a sandwich PhD project?

A PhD project, anywhere in the world, usually takes four years. The disadvantage of a 'standard' PhD project is that the four years are spent in one place only: either at the Iocal university or abroad. A sandwich PhD project is different. Students enjoy the support of both their home institute and their supervisor at Wageningen University. The PhD student starts with a stay of six to eight months in Wageningen to work out a full project plan, study literature and take introductory courses.

The actual research takes place in the student's own country under local supervision, for about three years. Regular contact with the supervisor in Wageningen goes by email. In between, the student often brings a short visit to Wageningen and the supervisor may visit the students institute. When all data are collected, the PhD student returns to Wageningen to finish the PhD thesis in approximately six months. The local supervisor comes to Wageningen to act as co-promoter in the graduation ceremony.

Quality control

Applications for a sandwich fellowship outnumber by far the available places. Only the best candidates with the most original and innovative research proposals are selected. After acceptance, sandwich PhD students enroll in one of the Wageningen Graduate Schools, which are accredited by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. The full project plan is once again reviewed, students follow a tailor-made education and training programme, participate in international and Local symposia, take postgraduate courses, and publish their work in high-standing journals.

Advantages

The PhD students conduct research that is in the interest of (and funded by) their home country and often fits within a larger national research and development programme.

The shared responsibility of the Local institute and Wageningen University creates a unique and fruitful combination of location-specific knowledge and international scientific exposure. That is beneficial to the student and contributes to capacity building of the local institute. Sandwich PhD students develop an international scientific network, but remain strongly committed to their home institute. Their PhD degree often gives a boost to their local career: brain gain instead of brain drain.

Costs

The out-of-pocket costs of a Sandwich PhD Fellowship are 30.000 Euro, covering sixteen months of stay in Wageningen, travel costs of student and supervisors, insurance, visa costs, etc. Moreover, Wageningen provides supervision, education and training, and a waiver for the university fee, which represents another 30.000 euro. The home institute or another sponsor covers Iocal supervision and research costs.

Impact and future

Since the sandwich PhD programme started, in 1986, more than one hundred students graduated successfully. In fact, about sixty of the two hundred PhD students that graduate each year in Wageningen originate from a developing country: more than at all other Dutch universities taken together. With fifteen fellowships per year, the Wageningen sandwich PhD programme accounts for twenty percent of all international PhD students. Eighty percent are fully funded by governments, Iocal institutes, industry, international funds, etc. While this illustrates our strong international linkages, many of these students (and their home institute) would benefit from a longer stay in Wageningen than their current fellowship allows. Also, there is still room for more PhD students. Therefore, Wageningen University seeks to expand its sandwich PhD fellowship programme through partnerships with other organizations involved in capacity development in the South.

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6. Conference on Partnership & Investment Opportunities in Transport, Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Hamburg, 15th February 2005

On the invitation of “Afrika-Verein” e.V, NEPAD Council delegation attended an economic conference on financing and investment in West-, Central and East Africa at the “Afrika-Verein” premises in Hamburg.

The aim of the conference was to introduce European Commission’s initiative and financing possibilities through her PRO€INVEST-Programme and the Centre for the Development of Enterprise (CDE) for the AKP States among others including West-, Central and East Africa. Through the European Development Fund (EDF), the European Commission has set 110 Million Euros for PRO€INVEST-Programme and CDE for the beneficiaries.

After the conference, the NEPAD Council delegation led by Dr. James M. Kajete had marathon meetings with Mr. Patrick KEENE, the Programme Manager (PRO€INVEST), Mr. A. Shim van der Loeff (European Investment Bank), Mr. Roberto Zavatta (Managing Director of Economisti Associati), Mr. Peter Teschmacher (Managing Director of Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH), Mr. Michel Courcelle (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) and Mr. Jan Nintemann Managing Director of GLOBAL FAIRS) on possible future co-operation.

To find out how you can benefit from the said programme, we are pleased to provide you with the original presentations of the speaker on the said conference as downloads containing also the necessary contacts.

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