As Rwanda is considered as ‘The Singapore of Africa’, Sierra Leone should take advantage

Education is the heartbeat and power-engine of development. To have a cutting edge and sustainable development, African countries should allocate more funds on science, technology and telecommunication. In the business world time is of essence and these areas mentioned are vital to use time effectively and efficiently. (Photo: Alfred Sorie Kargbo, author)

The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, a big thinker, is setting the pace in Africa by penned an agreement on 16 September 2011 with Jared L. Cohon, president of a major US university, Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon University to build an Africa technology hub in Rwanda. The objective of the agreement is to establish a new graduate engineering program and offer Master of Science in Information Technology which will produce technology entrepreneurs for Rwanda.

According to the article read, (Wonacott, P. Rwanda to Mint Tech Masters. The Wall Street Journal. 15 Sept. 2011, p. 26.), the program aims to admit 40 students in 2012 with the intention to increase the number to 150 by 2017. East African students will be targeted with special preference to Rwandans. However, applicants from other nations (worldwide) will be considered. Also, in the second year of the program Master of Science in electrical and computer engineering will be offered.

African countries are experiencing an increase in Direct Foreign Investment but we lack the standard universities to supply the young talents needed by these companies that are now investing on the continent. A typical example is in Sierra Leone. The London Mining Company is extracting Iron Ore in Sierra Leone, which is a good opportunity to employ Sierra Leoneans to do the engineering jobs but they were obliged to recruit foreign nationals from Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Mali to name a few. We are giving away our natural resources without gaining any working experience in the areas of mineral resource mining.

If the Sierra Leone government could not at the moment lobby to establish similar Science and Technology, and Information and Telecommunication universities in Sierra Leone as in Rwanda where one of the co-sponsors is African Development Bank, it is advisable to make use of the opportunity to send qualified science students to Rwanda to get their Masters in Science in information technology and electrical and computer engineering. For proximity and tuition affordability’s sake let the government of Sierra Leone seize this opportunity to educate our young talents to meet the demand of foreign investments. After the acquisition of their Masters they would not runaway or stay in Rwanda as they would do if they went and studied in Europe or America. We need to start somewhere. It should be a long-term plan for the country which will worth it.

By Alfred Sorie Kargbo, Netherlands

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!