Pakistan varsities to build capacity of African universities in public health, science

ISLAMABAD: The Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the OIC will provide financial assistance to two leading public and private Universities in Pakistan through Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for the capacity building of the staff of 12 African Universities in public health, science and information technology, officials said on Tuesday.

Both the Pakistani Universities including the Health Services Academy (HSA) and National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Islamabad have signed separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), Kampala to train the faculty and officials of 12 Universities, established by the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and other African countries.

“We have signed two separate MoUs in Pakistan with Health Services Academy (HSA) and National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) for joint research and educational development in the areas of public health, science and information technology”, Prof. Dr. Ismail Simbwa Gyagenda, Rector of the IUIU told newsmen in Islamabad. Dr. Ismail Simbwa, who visited Pakistan as part of a delegation to attend the 48th session of OIC Council of Foreign Minister in Islamabad last week, met with officials of HSA and NUST in Islamabad and sought their support in training the faculty and staff of over 12 Universities in different African Islamic countries as IUIU oversees the academic affairs of these 12 varsities established by the OIC.

Vice Chancellor, HSA Islamabad Prof. Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan said as the agreement between HSA and IUIU, they would not only train the African Universities’ faculty and staff in the area public health and research but joint medical camps would also be held in Uganda while scholarships would also be offered to students of the African Universities. “Exchange of scholars, graduates and students would also be promoted while Pakistani public health experts would be sent to Uganda and other Muslim countries in Africa for their capacity building”, Prof. Shahzad Ali Khan said, adding that Islamic Development Bank has agreed to finance the exchanges and capacity building of African Universities.

He maintained that a delegation of Pakistan public health experts would visit Kampala, Uganda after Ramzan to ascertain the education, training and research needs of the African Universities and added that a formal cooperation in the areas of public health and other fields of medical sciences would commence within a few months. Prof. Khan maintained that Health Services Academy has been designated as a center of excellence in public health for OIC countries by the COMSTECH.