HIGHER EDUCATION: POLICY AND SECURITY
May 29, 2008
"Net Access for African Universities Would Boost Continent"
Op-Ed, Daily Yomiuri
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
"African universities could be the continent's gateways into the global knowledge economy for local diffusion of new technologies. But this potential remains unrealized because universities and research institutes in Africa remain digitally isolated from the rest of the world. This is partly because of government neglect and lack of strategic policies on Internet access....Providing low-cost, high-speed Internet access to African universities will help Africa build the capacity it needs to solve its own problems. It is one of the most strategic investments that the G-8 countries can make in Africa in the coming few years."
November 22, 2007
"Lower Africa's Voting Age to 16"
Op-Ed, Business Daily, (Nairobi)
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
"The law that set the minimum voting age at 18 has yet to catch up with Africa’s economic and political realities. People aged between 12 and 18 years work, send text messages, get married and give bribes. Yet they cannot vote. Their voice should count on key issues that affect their lives such as education; health; and employment...."
November 8, 2007
"Africa's 'Text Generation' is Here"
Op-Ed, Business Daily
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
"Kenyans will elect a new president in December. But unlike in previous elections, the president will preside over a country dominated by the youth who have a new outlook on life....Performance standards will soon take centre stage and will start to directly challenge patronage as a management style....The "text generation" will be more interested in a functioning economy and less in ethnic politics that has dominated Kenya and most of post-colonial Africa."
Mark Taber
November 1, 2007
"Universities as Agents of Prosperity"
Op-Ed, Business Daily
By José A Zaglul and Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
"Costa Rica, which shares commonalities with many African nations in terms of climate and resources, has been privileged to have visionary leaders who have understood the importance of education and, since 1949, has had a free and mandatory educational system through elementary school.
In this same era, the army was abolished, arms were exchanged for books and canons for school desks and state universities offering a world-class education were established. Costa Ricans are very proud of this and stable."
AP Photo
October 4, 2007
"Reaping Benefits of Technology Revolution"
Op-Ed, Business Daily, (Nairobi)
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
"The market release of the iconic $100 laptop (XO) later this year promises to do for education what the cell phone did for telecommunications....Like the cellphone, new educational technologies such as the XO will demand greater flexibility in educational systems....Existing curricula are like landlines; fixed in place and dependent for their functioning on centralized bureaucracies."
September 6, 2007
"Africa Needs More Technical Universities"
Op-Ed, Business Daily, (Nairobi)
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
"Meeting safety requirements in international markets will involve the use of sophisticated information systems that allow regulators to effectively trace the movement of products through the entire food chain.
Having technical capacity to manage safety information will help African countries to add value to their produce."
August 16, 2007
"Innovation System Needs Reforms"
Op-Ed, Business Daily, (Africa)
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
African countries are increasing the allocation of funds to scientific research. But such investments will be wasted if they are used for basic research rather than product innovation.
July 18, 2007
"Food Security, Agriculture, and Economic Growth: Opportunities for Cooperation between the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa"
Testimony
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
Testimony of Calestous Juma before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, Hearing on Food Security in Africa: The Impact of Agricultural Development
July 2, 2007
"Education for the Long Term"
Op-Ed, The Boston Globe
By Nolan Bowie, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program
"I wish to share my vision of a possible future where the digital divide — a term that implies inequality of access to Internet connectivity, to relevant information, education, knowledge, and opportunity in digital formats and in digital networks — is eliminated in the United States by adapting a national ubiquitous high-speed broadband policy."
July 2007
"Power to the People"
Magazine or Newspaper Article, World Conservation, issue 2, volume 37
By Calestous Juma, Professor of the Practice of International Development; Director, Science, Technology, and Globalization Project
Innovation can help secure the universal access to modern energy and sustainability that Africa so sorely needs, says Calestous Juma.
