skill development:the iteC wayManish Chand

senior editor, ians, and editor, africa Quarterly

it is an act of faith, a journey into the heart of india’s home-grownenterprise, dovetailing inspireddiplomacy, innovation and

rural uplift.

in 2005, 34 women from far-flungvillages in ethiopia gathered at theBarefoot College in tilonia, a small townnear ajmer in the desert state ofRajasthan. many of them had barelyventured out of their villages earlier, but they flew thousands of miles to india.their mission: to become amateur solarengineers. six months later, when theyreturned to their villages, they broughtwith them a solar lantern to light upevery hut.

three years later, the project, initiallysponsored by the United nationsdevelopment programme (Undp), wasadopted by the indian technical andeconomic Cooperation (iteC)programme in 2008.

transformation is, indeed, the guidingmantra of the iteC that hinges on

capacity building and skills transfer tohundreds of thousands of students,professionals, and mid-career diplomatsin 160 countries across continents,including africa, asia, latin america andeast and Central europe. the success ofthe solar engineering training wouldensure that it will become a regularfeature of the iteC. over the next threeyears, more than 150 women wouldtrain to spread the light in theirhomelands, as it were. they were fromdifferent african countries, ranging fromsudan in the north to namibia in thesouth and from senegal in the west totanzania in the east.

the solar engineering plan is just one ofthe innovative ways in which the iteC,launched on september 15, 1964, is notonly imparting skills, but is also acting as acatalyst for enduring socio-economictransformation in the developingcountries.

an expression of india’s unstintingcommitment to south-south cooperation,the iteC programme has disseminated

112 skill development: the iteC way

transformation is the guiding mantra of theindian technical and economic Cooperationprogramme that hinges on capacity-building andskills transfer to hundreds of thousands ofstudents, professionals and mid-career diplomatsin over 150 countries

(Top) Students of the Bachelor’s programme in Sign Language at the IndiraGandhi National Open University, Delhi.

(Right) Barely-literate grandmothers from remote villages of Africa train asamateur solar engineers at the Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan.

expertise and shared india’sdevelopmental experience with countriesof the developing south. started as abilateral programme of assistance of theindian Government, the iteC, includingits corollary sCaap (specialCommonwealth assistance for africaprogramme), has expanded to includesome 220-odd courses ranging from it,textile designing, foreign affairs tocommerce, science and media. studentswho are selected for iteC courses —most of these courses last from two to six weeks — are sent to 48 institutionsempanelled by india’s ministry ofexternal affairs.

the iteC has six components: training(civilian and defence) in india ofnominees of iteC partner countries;projects and project-related activitiessuch as feasibility studies andconsultancy services; deputation ofindian experts abroad; study tours;gifting/donation of equipment at therequest of iteC partner countries; andaid for disaster relief.

on an average, india spends about Rs.500 million ($10.8 million) on variediteC activities. since 1964, india has provided nearly $2.5 billion worth oftechnical assistance to developingcountries, including neighbouringcountries. over the years, india has spentaround $1 billion over iteC-relatedactivities involving african countries.

although the iteC encompasses the entire global south, africa looms large inthe widening canvas of the programme.“africa is a very special continent offocus, where iteC courses have acquiredgreat popularity,” india’s Foreignsecretary nirupama Rao told iteC alumni

at a gala party that is organised everyyear in the indian capital to celebrateiteC day. “they have come to be seen asvalued instruments for vocation training,upgradation of skills, capacity buildingand empowerment,” she said.

against the backdrop of the burgeoningpopularity of the iteC programme inafrican countries, india’s prime ministermanmohan singh announced anadditional 500 slots for african studentsat the maiden india-africa Forum summitheld in new delhi in april 2008. “we will enhance opportunities for africanstudents to pursue higher studies inindia. as an immediate measure wepropose to double our long-termscholarships for undergraduates,postgraduates and higher courses andincrease the number of training slotsunder our technical assistanceprogrammes from 1,100 to 1,600 every year,” he said in the presence of african leaders.

in his speech outlining his vision of avibrant partnership between a resurgentafrica and a rising india, manmohan singh encapsulated the ethos of the iteC programme. “Both india and africa areblessed with young populations. it is onlyby investing in the creative energies of ouryouth that the potential of our partnershipwill be fulfilled,” he said.

Besides empowering them with life-sustaining skills, the iteC programmealso gives students from differentcountries a taste of the multicultural andpluralistic ethos of india. “networkingand bonding is incredible amongstudents. many of them have tears intheir eyes when the course ends andmost of them retain their bonds forged

skill development: the iteC way

(Top) Students at the Aptech Institute for Computer Education in Mumbai, India.

(Right) A solar-powered mobile Internet cafe in the village ofEmbakasi, located some 25 km from Nairobi.

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an expression of india’s unstinting commitment to south-south cooperation, the iteC programmehas disseminated expertise and shared india’sdevelopmental experience with countries of thedeveloping south

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during this short programme,” recallsprimrose sharma, who handled iteC inindia’s foreign office a few years ago. the iteC has also become a powerfulinstrument of projecting india’s softpower and its cultural diplomacy as most of these students retain a life-longassociation with india long after theirbrief stay in the country. the extendedfraternity, as an iteC alumnus said, carry a bit of india in their heartswherever they go.

many of the students, who attended iteCcourses, have risen to top positions intheir respective fields, and some havegone on to become ministers. inBotswana, many officers in the defenceestablishment have been trained underthis programme. in tanzania, over 24percent senior government officials havebeen through the iteC experience.

“the course opened up participants tonew ideas; we learnt to look at ourmarkets differently,” wrote two Ugandannominees from the Bank of africaUganda ltd., who attended the seniormanagement development programmefor smes conducted jointly byadministrative staff College of india andnimsme (national institute for microsmall and medium enterprises), in theirreport to the ministry of external affairs.

“although most of the concepts were notentirely new, the sharing of experiencesfrom different parts of the developingworld was uniquely enriching. the casestudies and field visits provided a uniquelearning experience in a practicalenvironment,” they wrote.

while iteC is essentially bilateral in its

outreach, its resources have beenoccasionally used for financing trilateraland regional programmes managed bythe economic Commission for africa,Unido and the Group of 77. today, theiteC’s activities have expanded toinclude training and project support tothe african Union, afro-asian RuralReconstruction organisation, the pan-african parliament and the G-15.

project assistance such as training accounts for 40 percent of the annualiteC budget. some of the key projects executed under the iteC programme inafrica include the computerisation ofthe office of the prime minister ofsenegal and assistance in thetransformation of the educational systemof south africa. agriculture remains amajor focus of iteC’s project assistance.the programme has provided Ghana,senegal, Burkina Faso and maliequipment and expertise for enhancingagricultural productivity, and generatedenormous goodwill for india amongafrican countries. vocational training in small-scale industry andentrepreneurship development areimportant areas of cooperation withsenegal and Zimbabwe. such trainingenables young people to get jobs atcomparatively low levels of capitalintensity.

it is not just students from foreigncountries that have benefited from iteCprogramme. several indian public sectorundertakings have also acquired adistinctive brand identity in developingcountries, especially in africa.

the national small industriesCorporation (nsiC), hindustan machine

(Top) African students at Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi.

(Right) ITEC’s extended family in Maputo, Mozambique.

many of the students who attended iteC programmehave risen to top positions in their respective fields,even gone on to become ministers. in Botswana,many officers in the defence establishment havebeen trained under this programme. in Zanzibar and tanzania, over 24 percent senior governmentofficials have gone through the iteC experience

tools international ltd. hmt (i), water and power Consultancy services ltd.(wapCos) and Rail india technical &economic services (Rites) have capitalisedon their iteC association, and are nowbidding for development projects in thesecountries on their own.

with india emerging as a global power, itsknowledge economy that is epitomised inthe iteC programme shines forth as anexample of the country’s ethos of creatinga more equitable and balanced world,based on a transfer of technology and skills among fellow developing countries of the south.

the iteC spirit has touched a chord inafrican countries. “you really need somegood friends who can capacitate you. indiato us is such a friend. there is enormousscope for cooperation in iCt. we greatlyvalue india’s expertise in capacity building,”says tanzania’s prime minister mizengokayanza peter pinda.

“india is very advanced in areas ofeducation and science and technology.india’s developmental experience is veryrelevant for the african continent,” says dr salim ahmed salim, a former primeminister of tanzania and a former

ambassador of tanzania to india in the1960s. in a similar vein, togo’s primeminister Gilbert Fossoun houngbo, aformer Un official, sees india as “theworld’s most populous democracy and aleader in frontier areas of knowledge.”

houngbo rightly sees training and humanresource development as the heart ofafrica’s engagement with india. “what isvery interesting and appealing is the indianmodel of cooperation. india is a developingcountry but has achieved much. africa can,therefore, learn from the trajectory ofdevelopment in india and the indianexperience,” he told africa Quarterly, an india-based journal that focuses on african affairs.

above all, the iteC programme exemplifiesindia’s unflinching commitment to south-south cooperation and forms an integralpart of its broader diplomatic thrust topartner the people-rich african continent inits ongoing resurgence. “the 21st centuryis often described as the asian century.india wishes to see the 21st century as theCentury of asia and africa, with the peopleof the two continents working together topromote inclusive globalisation,” saidmanmohan singh at the india-africasummit in 2008.

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the iteC spirit has touched a chord in africa. “you really need some good friends who cancapacitate you. india to us is such a friend. thereis enormous scope for cooperation in iCt. wegreatly value india’s expertise in capacitybuilding,” says tanzania’s prime minister mizengokayanza peter pinda

(Top) ITEC trainees visiting one of the mills at the South India Textile Research Association, Chennai, the capital of India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu.

(Left) ITEC trainees with R.K. Pachauri, Chancellor of TERI University, Delhi.