The year got off to a fruitful start for the Pan-African University (PAU) project as the African Union (AU) hosted a fund-raising luncheon on Tuesday 31st January 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This event, hosted by the Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) of the African Union Commission (AUC) and chaired by the Commissioner of the Department, Pr. Jean-Pierre Ezin, was able to bring together a number of donors and supporters together to help push the agenda of the PAU forward.

Pr. Ezin emphasized the importance of the PAU, and the fact it would contribute to capacity building of future researchers throughout the African continent. Mrs. Vera Ngosi, Director of HRST, one of event facilitator, went on to further highlight the role the PAU would play in helping Africa meet some key goals like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Pan Africa University is expected to provide an opportunity for the continent to claim her rightful place in the global knowledge-based economy. The PAU will enhance the triple missions of modern universities around the world, namely; education and training; research; and public service/ engagement, which in the case of the PAU, is the entire African continent, according to the press statement of AU. The following five areas constitute the thematic areas of PAU:

• Space sciences to be hosted in Southern Africa;
• Water and Energy Sciences, including climate change to be hosted in Northern Africa;
• Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation to be hosted in Eastern Africa with Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya;
• Life and Earth Sciences, including health and agriculture to be hosted in Western Africa, with University of Ibadan, Nigeria;
• Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences to be hosted in Central Africa with the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon as the host institution.

H.E. Dr. Ruben Maye Nsue Mangue, Ambassador of Equatorial Guinea in Addis Ababa expressed his country’s support for the AU on PAU initiative. He made an undisclosed personal contribution to the PAU project and furthermore stated his country’s is interested in matters related to fishery and its willingness to host and support the AU on matters covering this area.

Other promises came from other donors and supporters of the PAU project including the African Capacity Building Fund (ACBF).

More information.