The government of Kenya
has signed a Framework for Cooperation with the United States government to
support a new partnership between universities and industry to drive
innovation, research, and job growth in STEM-related fields in Kenya and
globally.
USAID Counselor Clinton
White signed the Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Math (STEM) Education for Economic Development Framework for Cooperation alongside
Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi as part of Kenyan
President William Ruto’s State Visit to the United States.
The signing
took place at Spelman College in Atlanta, where representatives of the U.S. and
Kenyan governments were gathered to discuss investments in higher education,
partnerships in STEM education at the post-high school level, and how science
technology, engineering, and math education can contribute to Kenya’s economic
growth.
At the
signing, USAID also announced nearly $32 million investment in Kenya’s
education system. This investment includes $850,000 in support of the Edtech
Africa initiative, a public-private partnership program recommended by the
President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement (PAC-ADE) to
promote STEM partnerships between Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs), the Open University of Kenya, Mastercard and Microsoft, and a $6.5
million new project in Kenya which aims to connect STEM graduates with jobs in
fast-growing sectors like information and communication technology and
manufacturing of textiles and pharmaceuticals. It also includes a new $24.5
million program on early grade literacy, to ensure that more Kenyans are
prepared with the foundational skills they need to succeed in higher education.
As the
United States and Kenya celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations, and
recalling the positive and enduring impact of Kennedy-era assistance to
help East Africans study in the U.S., known as the student airlift, the U.S.
Department of State announced at Spelman the Kennedy-Mboya Partnerships to
support a new, 21st century scholarship program focused on STEM as the field of
the future. With funding of $3.3 million from the U.S. Department of State, this
program should support the development and success of the next generation of
Kenyan scientists, researchers, and engineers.
USAID
expects the Framework for Cooperation signed today to establish linkages,
partnerships, exchange programs, and other relationships for sharing and
developing the STEM, advanced manufacturing, and ICT capacities of Kenyan
higher education institutions. It includes a commitment from Microsoft and the
Mastercard Foundation to support STEM education through higher education partnerships,
and a commitment from U.S. universities to partner with Kenyan institutions to
build mutual capacity in STEM-related courses of study.
The United
States has a longstanding partnership with Kenya, actively supporting the
country as a pioneering force and regional engine for innovation. This new
partnership in the area of STEM education will prepare a generation of
innovative Kenyan leaders to meet evolving market demands and advance the
nation’s economic development.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
