Yesterday saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the World Bank and the government of Korea to support science and technology capacity-building at universities and research institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.
In terms of the MoU, the Korean government will set up a US$10-million trust fund at the World Bank to grow “highly qualified local talent” in areas important for Africa’s transformation such as renewable energy, big data, artificial intelligence, and engineering.
Specific initiatives for the programme include scholarship and research support to students and university faculty working on relevant transformative technologies across the region, funding of PhD training programmes incorporating international and home-based study, as well as collaborative research between faculties in sub-Saharan Africa and Korean universities in priority areas.