Carnegie Corporation Annual Reports

Strengthening Human Resouces in Developing Countries

The Corporation's program, Strengthening Human Resources in Developing Countries, has sought to enhance capacity within selected countries for sustaining social and economic development in the context of transitions to democratic governance. Grants have been concentrated in Commonwealth African countries, with limited activities in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

Three interlocking strategies have been pursued: expansion of indigenous scientific and technical capabilities to manage development challenges; improvement in women's health, education, and legal status; and furtherance of democratic processes.

Under science and technology for development, grants have been made to link science and technology policies with economic policies and to share knowledge and innovations among scientists and policymakers, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to fostering intersectoral and interdisciplinary networks, the Corporation has funded the establishment of computer-based information and networking systems at universities and scientific institutions. Support has also been given for empirical analyses in selected African countries, aimed at increasing the effectiveness of these nations' health policies.

The subprogram women's health and development has built on the successful experiences of a West African operations research network on maternal mortality. The results of this project have led to the recognition that sustained improvement in the health of women will depend on progress in other aspects of their lives. The Corporation has, therefore, funded efforts to reduce the gender gap in education, promote laws and policies to improve the status of women, and expand women's leadership in planning and setting development priorities and policies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Through the initiative on transitions to democracy in Africa, the Corporation has promoted progress toward democratic governance in the continent. Recent funds have enabled a network of African scholars to analyze the literature produced in Africa on the factors influencing democratic processes and transitions. In addition, support has been given to studies of national sovereignty and militaryÖcivilian relationships ò two areas that have implications for the resolution of internal conflicts in Africa. The Corporation has also promoted new approaches to designing and implementing collaborative development assistance strategies in Africa. A long-standing concern, addressed by grant recipients in this country, has been to build constituencies for Africa among United States leaders in the public and private sectors. The aim has been to contribute to an understanding of changes under way in the continent and to an awareness of the opportunities and benefits of U.S. partnership aimed at reinforcing these changes.

The successor program, International Development, in the coming year will be exploring selected opportunities to strengthen the contribution of higher education and libraries to national development in Commonwealth Africa and will seek to improve women's opportunities in higher education. See the 1998Ö99 program guidelines beginning on p. 89 for more information.

International Development Research Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. African Technology Policy Studies Network. Two years, $500,000.

The African Technology Policy Studies Network was created in 1993 to strengthen the region's institutional capacity for managing science-led development. It supports interdisciplinary studies in fifteen anglophone African countries on issues including the acquisition and use of technology and the role of women in technological change. Network staff members are training new investigators in research methodology and exploring ways to improve the dissemination of research findings to policymakers, business leaders, and academics. The network is sponsored by the Corporation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the International Development Research Centre, which serves as its fiscal agent and institutional base.

Judi Wakhungu, Coordinator, African Technology Policy Studies Network.

United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning, Dakar, Senegal. Technical assistance to science and technology policy dialogues in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe (final). Two years, $100,000.

The United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning provides African countries with training, research, and technical assistance in development strategies. It is coordinating national science and technology policy dialogues in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe that are designed to help decision makers and scientists link science and technology policies with broad economic planning and management. Institute staff members are preparing background papers for the dialogues that focus on policy formulation and implementation, long-term planning, and practices that foster the integration of science and technology policies with economic policies.

Jeggan C. Senghor, Director.

Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Ibadan, Nigeria. Promotion of strategic management of science and technology policy in Nigeria (final). Two years, $75,000. The African Technology Pol

icy Studies Network was founded in 1993 to strengthen the research base of technology policymaking in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the fifteen countries that contribute to the network, four ò Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe ò are engaged in a project to synthesize findings and establish a model series of national dialogues to bridge technology and economic policies. Researchers at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, which leads the policy dialogue initiative in Nigeria, are linking science and technology experts with policymakers through a compendium of science and technology policy research studies. The studies are published and distributed to the public and private sector.

G. O. A. Laditan, Director, Business and Technology Development Department.

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Capacity building to improve science and technology information and communications systems in Africa. One year, $250,000.

One of the goals of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (eca) is to strengthen information systems throughout the African continent. In collaboration with European and U.S. private foundations, bilateral donors, nongovernmental organizations, and the World Bank, eca is developing standardized guidelines for information exchange systems across countries and convening meetings to harmonize databases on development. The objective is to build an information infrastructure that can support implementation of the African Information Society Initiative, established in 1996 to help all African countries attain a minimum level of Internet connectivity.

K. Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary. (www.un.org/depts/eca)

Harvard University, Boston, MA. Collaborative training program with African institutions in health and behavioral research (final). Nineteen months, $625,000.

Harvard University's East African Health and Behavior Fellowship Program, created to promote interdisciplinary research and training in the social sciences and medicine at the universities of Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, completed its eighth and concluding year in 1998. Under the program, faculty members from both universities received training at Harvard and produced research proposals, manuscripts for publication, and training materials. The Corporation's final grant is enabling ten former fellows to return to Harvard to develop guidelines for sustaining new, similar programs at the East African universities. The results of an evaluation of the program will be published in a journal article and a book. Harvard provides in-kind support.

Arthur Kleinman, Chairman, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Interdisciplinary program in social science and medicine (final). Three years, $300,000.

The Social Science and Medicine Program at the University of Dar es Salaam, founded by the first two faculty members to receive fellowships under Harvard University's East African Health and Behavior Fellowship Program, aims to increase the use of combined social science and medical research methods to solve Tanzania's health problems. Program team members organize conferences on culture and medicine, prepare teaching materials, produce and disseminate monographs, and conduct interdisciplinary research. Under a final grant, the program is being institutionalized within the university as the Centre for Studies in Social Science and Medicine. Support also comes from bilateral and multilateral donors and the Ford Foundation.

Melkizedeck T. Leshabari, Chairman, Social Science and Medicine Program, Muhimbili Medical Centre.

University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya. Interdisciplinary program in social science and medicine (final). Three years, $300,000.

Like its sister program at the University of Dar es Salaam, the Interfaculty Collaboration Programme was founded by the first two University of Nairobi faculty members to participate in Harvard University's East African Health and Behavior Fellowship Program. With a focus on priority health problems in Kenya, the program holds cross-disciplinary annual conferences and twice-monthly workshops for medical and social scientists from around the country. It is making the transition to an organization within the university, the Centre for Health and Behavior Studies, where program team members will create cross-faculty courses; publish books, monographs, and a newsletter; and continue to engage in collaborative research. The university also provides support.

Violet N. Kimani, Programme Coordinator, Interfaculty Collaboration Programme. Social Science and Medicine Africa Network, Nairobi, Kenya. Support (final). Three years, $300,000.

The Social Science and Medicine Africa Network promotes the use of social science theories and methods in health research and policymaking in Africa. Through its twelve national chapters, the network maintains a directory of Africa-based health and social scientists, publishes a newsletter, and holds conferences, workshops, and seminars. Under a final grant joined by support from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Canadian International Development Research Centre, it is documenting collaborations between social and medical scientists that produced new health interventions. The published case studies will be used to educate policymakers about integrated approaches to the improvement of health in the continent.

Anne M. Pertet, Coordinator.

Akina Mama wa Afrika, London, United Kingdom. African Women's Leadership Institute. Two years, $200,000.

Akina Mama wa Afrika (Swahili for ìsolidarity among African womenî) is a London-based nongovernmental organization that serves as a resource on African women's issues in Europe and in Africa. In 1996 it initiated the pilot phase of the Uganda-based African Women's Leadership Institute, designed to strengthen young women's leadership skills. Participants complete a program of training in strategic planning, advocacy, and constituency building and apply to the institute for small grants to organize similar programs in their own countries. At a 1999 conference, alumnae will analyze the institute's progress and make recommendations on its future. Bilateral and multilateral donors and other foundations provide additional funding.

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Director.

Natal Women's Resource Centre, Durban, South Africa. Women's resource center in Natal, South Africa (final). Two years, $100,000.

The Natal Women's Resource Centre works with the more than 200 women's groups in largely rural KwaZulu/Natal province to enhance their participation in policymaking. A central activity is a series of workshops about selected policy issues that elicit women's views for incorporation in briefs for provincial and national decision makers. Workshops are being planned to address land policy and violence against women. Staff members also publish a newsletter and a directory of women's organizations and offer training for women interested in running for local office. The center has received local funding from the private sector and from government.

Smalgele Lesuthu, Coordinator. Women in Law and Development in Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe. Training and advocacy on women's rights. Two years, $300,000.

Women in Law and Development in Africa (wildaf) is a regional network of individuals and organizations working to improve the legal status of women. wildaf holds workshops and produces manuals to help its members ò lawyers, scholars, activists, and community organizers from more than 120 groups throughout Africa ò design and implement programs to educate women about their rights. A 1999 workshop will focus on an evaluation of these efforts. The network is also training members to monitor and report on women's rights and to advocate for legal reform at the national and the local level. Further support comes from the Ford Foundation and from bilateral and multilateral agencies.

Joana Foster, Regional Coordinator.

University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana. Research on women's legal rights in West Africa. Two years, $200,000.

The Women and Law in West Africa network, based at the University of Ghana, conducts research on laws and customs affecting women's rights in Ghana, the Gambia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Network teams of social scientists and lawyers from the four countries have reviewed the application of law in three areas: marriage and the family, violence against women, and land tenure and land rights. The country reports are being published as a book, Situational Analyses of Some Key Issues Affecting Women, which is consonant with the network's goal of adding to the body of knowledge on the status of women. The teams are now researching inheritance laws and working with other nongovernmental organizations in West Africa to develop dissemination and advocacy strategies.

Akua Kuenyehia, Project Director, Women and Law in West Africa, Human Rights Study Centre, Faculty of Law.

Women's Action Group, Harare, Zimbabwe. Outreach on women's rights in Zimbabwe (final). Three years, $100,000.

The Women's Action Group conducts national campaigns to change laws governing citizenship, inheritance, and ownership of property in Zimbabwe. The group has three core activities: health education workshops, legal education and policy advocacy, and a magazine on women's issues. The magazine, Speak Out, is distributed to a readership of more than 125,000 and is published in English, Shona, and Ndebele, the most widely spoken languages in the country. Members of the group are organizing workshops for policymakers, community leaders, and representatives of local women's groups to discuss national policy issues related to women's rights. They are also increasing their networking and advocacy efforts at the national level. Additional funds come from bilateral donors and the Buntstift Foundation.

Salina Mumbengegwi, Director.

University of Minnesota Foundation, Minneapolis, MN. International Women's Rights Action Watch (final). Two years, $100,000.

The International Women's Rights Action Watch, based at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, promotes worldwide ratification of and compliance with the 1979 United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The watch operates through a global network of more than 4,000 individuals and organizations, which report on developments in their countries. Among its publications are a guide to reporting under the convention and a newsletter that links women's groups around the world. This final grant, for continued support to African participants in the network, joins funding for the action watch from other foundations and the Swedish International Development Agency.

Marsha A. Freeman, Director, International Women's Rights Action Watch.

Multi-Disciplinary African Women's Health Network, Accra, Ghana. Support. One year, $100,000.

Participants at a Corporation-supported 1997 workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, appointed a steering committee to establish the Multi-Disciplinary African Women's Health Network. Its aim is to bring together medical practitioners and advocates from the continent to exchange information about women's health. Staff members of the network's steering committee have established a World Wide Web site and are producing a newsletter and developing databases on the related activities of organizations in Africa. In subsequent years, the network will organize training activities for members and devise a strategy to raise awareness in the continent about women's health issues.

Afua Hesse, Cochair. (www.mawhn.net)

University of Ghana, Kumasi, Ghana. Postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynecology in Ghana (final). Two years, $500,000.

In 1989 the University of Ghana Medical School in Accra and the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi launched a model five-year residency program in obstetrics and gynecology, designed to reduce the number of obstetricians who leave Ghana for training and remain abroad after certification. Fourteen postgraduates have completed the curriculum ò all of them remaining in the country as practicing specialists. Ten Ghanaian physicians who received training in other countries have returned to join the program as teachers. The Corporation's final grant is supplemented by support from the British Department for International Development.

Josiah A. Martey, Programme Coordinator, OBGYN Postgraduate Training Program, University of Science and Technology, School of Medical Sciences.

Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, Dakar, Senegal. Review of African research on transitions to democracy (final). Nine months, $100,000.

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (codesria) is directing a project to synthesize and disseminate research on transitions to democracy produced in the continent by African scholars. A preliminary report, Democratic Transition or Political Liberalization, summarizes some of the most important issues facing Africa's new democracies and includes a bibliography of more than 800 titles. One review is being issued in English and French, in book form and on cd-rom for each of the seven geographic or linguistic regions designated by codesria. Staff members are also organizing three subregional workshops for scholars, policymakers, and journalists to discuss the findings and develop further dissemination strategies.

Mamadou Diouf, Program Officer for Research and Documentation.

International Peace Academy, New York, NY. Projects to build capacity to manage conflict in Africa. Two years, $400,000.

Since 1992 the International Peace Academy has cooperated with the Organization of African Unity (oau) to develop a program to prevent and manage conflicts within and between African nations. The academy is evaluating the effectiveness of the oau program and will issue a report in 1999. It is also assessing the effects of interventions by neighboring countries in recent conflicts in Burundi, Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The case studies will be published as part of the academy's policy briefing series and will serve as background to a 1999 consultation on conflict management in Africa. Governmental organizations and other foundations provide further support.

Margaret A. Vogt, Senior Associate, Africa Program. (www.ipacademy.org)

Brookings Institution, Washington, DC. Project by Francis M. Deng to develop a normative framework for governance in Africa. One year, $200,000.

In his Corporation-supported book Sovereignty as Responsibility: Conflict Management in Africa (Brookings Institution, 1996), Francis M. Deng stressed the responsibilities of national governments toward their citizens. He is now working to define a set of standards for responsible governance that would be accepted by a majority of African countries. In Deng's view, these include adherence to democratic principles, respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, constructive management of diversity, and economic policies aimed at producing growth along with equitable resource distribution. Advised by a committee of African, U.S., and European scholars and practitioners, he is holding workshops to review the themes and recommendations emerging from the study and to plan strategies for disseminating the resulting book.

Francis M. Deng, Senior Fellow. (www.brook.edu)

African Association of Political Science, Harare, Zimbabwe. Institutional strengthening (final). Two years, $150,000.

The African Association of Political Science has national chapters in thirteen African countries and the United States. The association has built its membership by publishing a quarterly newsletter and a semiannual journal and by providing funds for the chapters to hold forums on democratization. In August 1998, it organized a pilot workshop for junior political science lecturers to strengthen their research, teaching, and writing skills. It is currently sponsoring twelve forums in francophone West, Central, and North Africa. Additional core funding comes from the Ford Foundation and the Swedish International Development Agency; other foundations support several of the chapters.

Kwame A. Ninsin, Administrative Secretary. (www. aaps.co.zw)

Carter Center, Atlanta, GA. New model of international cooperation for development assistance. One year, $250,000.

The Global Development Initiative was established in 1993 at the Carter Center to test a model for improving the effectiveness of development assistance through increased collaboration among donors and between donors and developing countries. The model has two components: elaboration by the host country of a national development strategy that establishes economic, legislative, and human resources plans and priorities, and the coordination of donor support for implementation of the strategy. The center provides technical assistance to the host country and acts as an advocate for the process with donors. Development experts and an advisory group of leaders from donor agencies and nongovernmental organizations are helping the center to monitor and evaluate the initiative.

Jason S. Calder, Program Coordinator, Global Development Initiative. (www.cartercenter.org)

National Summit on Africa, Washington, DC. Planning a national leadership conference on U.S.ÖAfrica relations. One year, $250,000.

A National Summit on Africa will be held in Washington, D.C., in November 1999. Its three interrelated aims are to educate the U.S. public about Africa and current U.S.ÖAfrica relations; to broaden and strengthen the network of supporters of Africa in the United States; and to develop an agenda for guiding U.S. relations with Africa. Modeled on United Nations conferences, the summit has held preparatory meetings to foster debate on the importance of Africa to the United States and on U.S. involvement in the continent's renewal. Recommendations from these meetings, together with those from a U.S.ÖAfrica policy meeting being convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March 1999, will be considered at the summit. The Ford Foundation is the summit's largest single supporter.

Leonard Robinson, Executive Director. (www.africasummit.org)

Africa–America Institute, New York, NY. Development of an expanded policy information and advocacy program (final). Two years, $200,000.

Since its inception in 1953, the AfricaÖAmerica Institute has managed educational programs for Africans studying in this country and has worked to educate U.S. policymakers and the public about African issues. The Corporation's final grant is supporting the institute's new policy program. Planned activities include roundtables for members of Congress and their staffs; regional symposia for Africans living in the United States; and the highlighting of policy issues through policy papers, op-ed pieces, letters to the editor, and a quarterly newsletter. The institute is also funded by the Ford Foundation and U.S. government agencies.

Mora McLean, President. (www.igc.org/ia/mb/aai.html)

Discretionary Grants

Akina Mama wa Afrika, London, United Kingdom
Toward an African women's leadership institute, $25,000

American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA
Toward planning an issue of Daedalus on South Africa, $25,000

American Assembly, Columbia University, New York, NY
Toward publication and dissemination of a book on Africa and U.S. national interests, $25,000

American Assembly, Columbia University, New York, NY
Toward dissemination of a report on Africa and U.S. national interests, $9,000

Continental Consultants (Ghana), Accra-North, Ghana
For planning a multidisciplinary African women's health network, $25,000

Family Planning Association of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania For a project to strengthen programs and cooperation on women's health among nongovernmental organizations in Tanzania, $25,000

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Toward the International Court of Justice Fiftieth Anniversary Seminar for Africa on the rule of law, $25,000

FORO Nacional/International, Lima, Peru
As a final grant toward research and writing by Francisco R. Sagasti on the role of science and technology in the process of development, $25,000

International Peace Academy, New York, NY
As a final grant toward publication and dissemination of a conference report on militaries, democracies, and security in sub-Saharan Africa, $25,000

Kenya Medical Women's Association, Nairobi, Kenya
For a project to strengthen programs and cooperation on women's health among nongovernmental organizations in Kenya, $25,000

National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Toward dissemination of a report by the Institute of Medicine on the role of health in U.S. foreign assistance, $25,000

National Policy Association, Washington, DC
Toward a quarterly newsletter on international development for U.S. business and labor leaders, $18,000

Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe
Toward its scientific publishing and dissemination program, $25,000

Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau, Kampala, Uganda
For a project to strengthen programs and cooperation on women's health among nongovernmental organizations in Uganda, $25,000

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Toward an international conference on African women and economic development, $25,000

Women's Foreign Policy Group, Washington, DC
Toward programs on African issues for women in international affairs, $25,000

Yale University, New Haven, CT
As a final grant toward research and writing by Ruben P. Mendez on the United Nations Development Programme, $25,000