EFTA02674387

African Ivy 24 Drayton Park Highbury London N5 1NF Dear, ryu. E l oct ,„ I As a supporter and philanthropist of higher education in the United States I thought I would reach out to see if your foundation could be of any assistance to an initiative to improve higher education in Africa. I recently penned an article (attached) stating why I thought Africa needed an elite 'Ivy League' higher education institution to reverse rock bottom standards and assure its future. I received good feedback and subsequently decided to set up an initiative to explore turning this into reality. For a novice this is obviously daunting but immensely exciting thinking of the potential end result. I am thus in the process of reaching out to organisations or philanthropists who may consider supporting this initiative. Not necessarily financial at this stage but contacts who may be interested in a new project or simply advice from organisations/foundations who have been involved in funding and higher education about potential courses of actions I do hope you get a chance to read the article and let me know your thoughts. Sincerely, Sharif Labo. EFTA_R1_01955106 EFTA02674387 ZO49$ZZOOt Woildwide • 4 A At let) 004010 I 5444qt I" grit& LOI.S561.0—L8—Vid3 EFTA02674388 Why Africa Needs Its Own Ivy League Institution Africa is suffering from high graduate unemployment and many of its best students and reSear IlerS are flocking overseas. Could an African elite university turn this around', eivitCLE. ruete :tin • Sow B• 5MM uu30 Casual readers of optimistic headlines about Africa's high growth rates and record levels of foreign investment might be forgiven for ihnking all us well on the continent - or at leas' that, with Africa Rising% all will be well before too long. But many of the perspectives and figures underlying these simplistic narrauves obscure the complex reality of rising inequality. success in only certain specific sectors, and -• aucialty -jgbleaerge.g. Indeed, on the continent itself, there is a rising sense that Africa's growth isn't aeating enough toes for the millions entering the labour market each year. By some esitmalea. §SDi or young people South Africa, and p.,Th Li Kenya and the DRC. are unemployed, In Nigeria, approximately 30 lethal youths are jobless And the International Labour Organisation estimates that in 2012. 247 melon workers in sub-Saharan Africa were in vulnerable employment. Also worrying is the fact that having an education does not seem to help. In response to an advert for 100 drivers an Nigeria last year, the Dangote Group fecerve 13 000 applicants including 6,460 with bachelor degrees, 704 with masters and 6 with PhDs. Seth Africa's youth population expected to double by 2045, this could prove to be a ticking time bomb, one only needs to look at the likes of Tunisia and Egypt for a forewarning of what a growing numbers of highly-educated uneniglOyed Ming MVO Can lead to Broadty.speaking, there are two ways of looking al the problem: 1) the economy's demand for labour isn't sufficiently strong to generate enough jobs because growth isn't fast enough ander the sectors which are growing are not labour intensive enough; or 2) the supply of potential workers Isn't appropriately educated and skilled fa the jobs that could be available In realty, both are true. However, the latter can influence the tamer, and it is the latter to which we will now turn. Seeking studies overseas AS high levels of unemployment amongst graduates suggests. African universities we churning out armies of job seekers rather than job creators. Higher education does not even appear to be correlated with higher employment in a number of places. In Uganda. for example, 19% of Ugandan gradualeS are lallffildffiadt9. compared to 7% of secondary school leaven. And in Newts graduates are 5% less likely to be employed than those with just a basic education. On top of this. many of Africa's best students are choosing to study abroad. According to (cures from 2006. one out of every sixteen students es sub-Saharan Africa is enrolled outside the continent. and some countries even have more Students abroad then al home. Nigerian str.dents are estimated to scene $500 million annually in Western universities, a staggenng 70% of the national university budget. http://thinkafricapress.com/society/why-africa-needs-its-own-ivy-league-institution 10/05/2013 EFTA_R1_01955108 EFTA02674389 Why Africa Needs Its Own Ivy League Institution Think Africa Press Page 2 of 4 But it's not Just students who have tied Half the contnenrs researchers, according to estimate% are in Europe. driven abroad by poor facaibes and salaries up to 20 times lower. Unsurprisingly then. Africa's output of research is amongst the lowest globally. So wears gone wrong? To start with. investment has not kept up with the growth in student numbers Between 1991 and 2006, me number of students in higher education was) from 2.7 million to 9.3 milhon, a growth o116% annualty, but expenditure onfy grew by 6%; investment has remained at 20% of educational budgets Meanwhile. funding from international donors has increasingly concentrated on basic education, believing this is the best way to alleviate poverty. In the late-1980s. 17% of the World Bank's global eduCaltiongj spending used to De focused on higher education. but this had detailed to 7% by me late-1990s This might suggest that the solution to Africa's higher education problems is simply more handing. This is undoubtedly important, but alone will not be sufficient Giving campuses a fresh lick of paint and new computers isn't suddenly going to attract leading scholars and students ahead of the global compebtion. Africa's Ivy League Instead, a more radical shift is needed to give Africa tertiary education a boost. One possibility is balding an African 'Ivy league' ansUttrbon. The US is what it is today in large pert because it advances the most revolutionary science and is home to groundbreaking nrms. Institutions like Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been instrumental in this process by attracting the brightest from across the globe to solve the hardest problems. If Africa had such an elite institution, It could potentially attract leading scholars, train students with the OM society needs. and help reverse the brain drain and capital flight. Preps most importantly. it could also act as a beacon of excellence for others colleges on the continent. Many will no doubt question the wisdom of concentrating funds on ono university when it could be disbursed amongst many, lea the oment syirern clearly does not seem to be working, and the benefit of elite institutions elsewhere - economicaly, socially and in raising the standard for education more broadly - is plain to see. Stanford University's alumni, for example, have founded companies that ennead, more than 12.7 billion in annual revenue - equivalent to the 10th largest economy in the world -while MIT's alumni have 11.44 Of S2 triton. Crucially, these benefits are spread nationally and globally. Furthermore, there are strong pragmatic reasons an African elite university should be appealing. Al the moment, the most prestigious African journals are published in Oxford and Yale but surely it would be more practical to do research on Africa in Africa. Studies into tropical diseases, agriculture and public policy would surely De best conducted on the continent so aCacierrites can work with professionals at the coalface. A worthy challenge The battleground of the future will be fought on ideas and technology. Many countries are preparing for this by investing in institutions modeled on the world's best Oster invited and funded Georoetown and Cornell Unmarsibes to set up satellite campuses in Doha. The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology it Saudi Arabia Opened in 2009Yntha910 dation endowment and has made its leaders from inSatutOns such as the Cah4ornia Institute of Technology (currently the 0o-ranked university globally). China is investing $250 billion a year in buildrq a world-class education system. and the nse of Asia has notably been accompanied by a corresponding gag to prominence 04 Asian universities. Mean/Mae, in Africa. only one university - the Univeraly of Cape Town - is r iao in the world's lop 200. Creating an African elite university able to compete with the wands best will undoubtedly be immensely challenging. Many makans would need to be raised, and the funnelling of Manor into one institution could necessarily mean less funding for other initiatives. In fact, politicaly and financially, a regional institution may make more sense than a national or pancontilenbe one. Furthermore, given intense global competition, It is hardly a foregone conclusion that the best students and researchers would immediatety rush to enrol. Building a gleaming campus is one thine but buildext a reoutation to excalence is necessarily a lone-term protect. EFTA_R1_01955109 EFTA02674390 Why Africa Needs Its Own Ivy League Institution j Think Africa Press Page 3 of 4 However. despite the challenges, this would be a project worth striving for. In a global marketplace where human capital is increasingly the daferentialor. Alma needs its own inasbalor of ideas to compete and kiCk-Slart the reform Of higher ethatiOn An elite univerSity that Africans can be proud of could make a real sustainable difference to the continent and provide a lasting legacy for the future of Alice T'hi'nk Mtge Press woken*, Inquutes regerong the tepueocabon el its creches. If you would eke to repulses,' this or any other tirade for re-pnnt syneteedon or ethicational purposes. Please confect egfortINnkelnadereSS COM For further reading around the subject see. Africa's Jobless Growth, Abase die Amend Sherif Lebo Africa', 'Demographic Dividend': The Youth \Mil Decide Africa's Two Speed Education and Classrooms without Walls Sherif is a MSc student at the LSE with a BSc in Economics from the University of Surrey. He can be contacted at ADD NEW COMMENT Comments • by Desna iesueon 23 AO 2013. g egarn what sbotri South Africa's Evilness Schools- GIBS. UCT GSB. Stellenbosch 658 and WITS BUSitIOSI $4,1001 we all wand-class and eaten* highly regarded internationally. GIEIS nonnlity does panicularly well in the FT comings... by Snanl Lebo en 25 Ayr 2013 8 33pm Deane: The article does mention UCT is in the lop 200 Tines Gleba u overate noon but °entre)/ South Africa does lend to be the exception rather than the rule in Sub-Saharan Africa on a range of issues including education by Lon on 24 April 2013.9 gtpm Thanks for your ankle. Sheaf. The African Regional Initiative in Science and Ed uditiOn (RISE) works towards the same goals of ravening brain omen and supporting a °Mato! research excellence on the continent. RISE uses the network model and leverages the strengths of science departments at mutter/ universities and institutes to Vain students. If you're interested. you can read mote about II at http-fhag lestdokle. EFTA_R1_01955110 EFTA02674391