ITEC Approaches to India-Africa Intellectual Interactions for the 21st Century: An Assessment

Anup Kumar DasJawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

http://anupkumardas.blogspot.in

ITEC Approaches to India-Africa Intellectual Interactions for the 21st Century: An

Assessment

International Conference on Africa-asia: A New Axis of Knowledge Session: Innovative Technologies for an Engaging Classroom

On 24-26 September 2015, at Accra, Ghana

India’s South-South Cooperation

• Soft Diplomacy approach – Educational and Cultural Exchange

• Institutional and Individual Capacity Building, Skills Development (SD), Manpower Development in many key technical and specialized subject areas.

• Bilateral strategic partnership with countries in the Global South enabling them with more pervasive S&T cooperation in many emerging areas, such as renewable energy, information technology (IT), telecommunications and climate change.

• SD Programmes help in enrichment of managerial and entrepreneurial knowledge of middle and top level professionals working in industries or public sector enterprises in those countries.

Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme – Genesis

• ITEC was instituted on 15 September 1964.• 15 September is celebrated as ITEC Day every year. • Indian Union Cabinet noted in 1964 while approving the ITEC

Programme: “A Programme of technical and economic cooperation is essential for the development of our relations with the other developing countries on the basis of partnership and cooperation for mutual benefit. It would also be a concrete manifestation of our resolve to contribute to the evolution of world community based on the inter-dependence of all its members in the attainment of their common goal for promoting the social and economic well-being of their people."

Sushma Swaraj during the 50th Year Celebration in 2014 said : "The ITEC programme was commenced in 1964 as an expression of India's solidarity with fellow developing countries of the south. It was started with the belief that developing countries should assist each other, since they traverse similar paths of development and their knowledge and experience would be especially relevant to other fellow developing countries".

The Country spent • 0.446 INR Millions in 1964-65 • 10 INR Millions in 1971-72• 2.0 INR Billions in 2013-14

ITEC Programme – Present Status

During 2013-14• 10000 scholarship slots• 47 training institutes• 280 training courses

ITEC Sister Programmes

• Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa Programme (SCAAP)

• Technical Cooperation Scheme of Colombo Plan (estb. 28 November 1950 ).

• Presently ITEC and its associated programme SCAAP cover about 160 countries.

• Pan-African e-Network project (2007).

Beneficiary Countries in ITEC and SCAAP Programmes

Subject-wise Distribution of ITEC-supported Courses in 2014-15

Availability of ITEC-supported Long-duration Courses in 2014-15

Teaching Institutions

African nationals get chance to learn from the Asia’s leading brand of technical institutions in face-to-face long term postgraduate degree or diploma courses, at

• Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT-R), • Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), • Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), • International Management Institute (IMI), • National University of Educational Planning and

Administration (NEUPA), • Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR).

Teaching Long-term Courses• M.Tech (Alternate Hydro Energy Systems), at Alternate Hydro Energy Centre, IIT-R, 2 years• M. Tech. (Environmental Management of Rivers and Lakes), at Alternate Hydro Energy Centre, IIT-

R, 2 years• M. Tech (Water Resources Development) at Department of Water Resources Development and

Management, IIT-R, 2 years• M. Tech (Irrigation Water Management) at Department of Water Resources Development and

Management, IIT-R, 2 years• M. Tech (Hydrology) at Department of Hydrology, IIT-R, 2 years• P.G. Diploma (Water Resources Development) at Department of Water Resources Development

and Management, IIT-R, 1 year• P.G. Diploma (Irrigation Water Management) at Department of Water Resources Development

and Management, IIT-R, 1 year• P.G. Diploma (Hydrology) at Department of Hydrology, IIT-R, 2 years• International Diploma in Educational Planning and Administration at NEUPA, New Delhi, 6 months• ISEC Regular Course, at International Statistical Education Centre (ISEC), Indian Statistical Institute,

Kolkata, 43 weeks• Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX), at IIM-A, 1 year• Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Management, at IMI, New Delhi, 1 year 3 months (64 weeks)• Master’s Degree in Human Resource Planning and Development, at IAMR, New Delhi, 1 year• Post Graduate Diploma Course in Human Resource Planning and Development, at IAMR, New

Delhi, 6 months.

ITEC-supported Institution Building in Africa

• ITEC facilitates institution building in African countries. • “Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT”

(AITI-KACE) [www.aiti-kace.com.gh], an advanced information technology institute, was established in 2003 through a partnership between the Government of Ghana and the Government of India.

• This state-of-the-art facility provides a dynamic environment for innovation, teaching and learning as well as practical research on the application of ICT4D in Africa.

Other Notable Initiatives

• Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)-supported Scholarships for PhD and Master’s Courses.

• Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and India’s Ministry of Science & Technology supported PhD and Master’s Courses in Natural Sciences and Applied Sciences.

• CV Raman International Fellowship Programme for African Researchers, since 2010.

• INDIAFRICA Young Visionaries Fellowship , since 2012.• INDIAFRICA Business Venture Contest , since 2010.

Conclusion

• India is supporting capacity development of budding professionals located in developing countries and least-developed countries in Africa and other regions.

• India’s efforts help in retaining talents in African countries.• Supports in Foreign Direct Investment from India, as Indian

joint venture companies require locally-available qualified manpower in technical areas.

• India’s effort also help in Skills Development locally, by imparting a kind of training of trainers (ToT) courses.

• Employment Generation locally. • “ITEC Alumni are our Goodwill Ambassadors”, and being

supported in National Development in African Nations.

References• African Development Bank (2011). India’s Economic Engagement

with Africa. • Chanana, Dweep (2009). India as an Emerging Donor. Economic and

Political Weekly, 44 (12), 11-14. • Debate: India and the New ‘Resurgent Africa’. Indian Foreign Affairs

Journal, 2012, 7 (1), 1-41. • McCormick, Dorothy (2008). China & India as Africa's New Donors:

The Impact of Aid on Development. Review of African Political Economy, 35(115), 73-92.

• Singh, Sushant K. (2007). India and West Africa: A Burgeoning Relationship. London: Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs.

• Sridharan, K. (2002). Commercial Diplomacy and Statecraft in the Context of Economic Reform: The Indian Experience. Diplomacy & Statecraft, 13(2), 57-82.

Thank you for your kind attention.

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