Accra, July 21, GNA-A one-billion-dollar fund that is seeking to support 10,000 African youth to study Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) programmes at the masters degree In United States and Canada has been launched.
Under the five-year project, prospective applicants will be assisted to submit applications for admission to the partner universities and colleges who are on the programme and their school fees will be paid.
Successful applicants will then be assisted to secure student’s loans and their students visa as well.
They will undertake a two-year masters programme followed by three years of work in the United States or Canada.
Chief Jewel Howard-Taylor, Vice President of Liberia, who launch the programme during a virtual event said commended Nekotech Foundation, initiators of the novelty noting that it was a rear opportunity for the teaming youth on the continent.
She said it was a chance for beneficiaries to acquire skills and knowledge to enhance their capacity to break the poverty cycle and contribute meaningfully to their countries.
Dr Princess Asie Ocansey, the Executive Chairperson of the Nekotech Foundation, said of the 1.4 billion Africans, less than 39,000 students were studying in the United States, whereas South Korea with a population of 51 million, has over 40,000 students in the United States.
She said out of the over 1.1 million foreign students in the United States, Asia has 750,000 students who were mostly in the STEM field, which was changing their narratives from poverty to prosperity.
“Africa has a huge potential to change its fortunes by taking advantage of this STEM educational opportunity,” Dr Ocansey noted.
She recalled that India went on a similar route of educating their children in the United States in STEM programs and the result was the over $85 billion in remittances India was enjoying annually.
Apart from that, she said top United States Tech giants attract Indian students because many of them had the tech skills.
She expressed the hope that African leaders would take note and do the same to drive jobs home to end the chronic African youth unemployment.
She applauded Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Zambia, and Cameroon for kicking off this programme.
Dr Justina Mutale of the Justina Mutale Foundation, UK – said the Zambian Nekotech programme was transforming the lives of their youth. She is planning to introduce the program to six additional countries.
Nekotech plans to set up a continental danceathon challenge among the nations to offer a scholarship to the winner who beats the current Guinness Book of records holder! Interested can register with an email to [email protected]
Enrollment is ongoing now for the readiness, which will start weekly from July 31st at www.nekotechcenter.org.
GNA