AUST: Abuja’s hidden jewel of Science and Technology

Once upon a time, Nelson Mandela had a dream, a dream of a conclave of institutions in which Africa’s best and brightest youth will congregate to learn from the best and then become a vanguard for tackling the science and technology challenges confronting the continent. For the past ten years, Abuja has been a prime showcase for Mandela’s vision, hosting one of the pioneer institutions in the project inspired by Mandela’s dream. And slowly and steadily, the vision is bearing rich, promising fruits. But to appreciate what is being achieved in this post-graduate university that draws brilliant youths from different parts of Africa, it is important to understand the history of the institution and the sturdy structure that is sustaining Mandela’s grand vision.

The African University of Science & Technology (AUST) in Abuja, a wholly-owned affiliate of the Nelson Mandela Institutions (NMI), is doing a remarkable job of pursuing the vision of Nelson Mandela for an African continent that can match the West in terms of science education, technological innovation and advancement. NMI is an international not-for-profit organization incorporated in United States of America. The important work of AUST provides hope for a new Africa. An Africa, whose professionals are making ground-breaking contributions to the global body of knowledge in industries across the world; and whose progress is anchored on scientific knowledge, industry and home grown solutions.

Before getting deeper into the remarkable work and results of AUST, it is appropriate to first provide some background into what made them possible at all.

The Origin of NMI, AUST’s Parent Institution

There is a general recognition that economic growth and global competitiveness are increasingly driven by knowledge and that universities play a key role in that context. There is also evidence that rapid advancements in science and technology across many areas – from information and communication technologies to biotechnology to new materials – provide great potential for countries to accelerate and strengthen their economic development. Those countries that are incapable of using the results of scientific investigations in more efficient and relevant ways cannot reap the results from scientific knowledge to produce goods and services and deliver them more effectively and at lower costs to a greater number of people. An appropriate economic and institutional regime, a strong human capital base, a dynamic information infrastructure, and an efficient national innovation system are critical factors.

At the 2001 Organization of African Unity (OAU) meeting of the heads of state attended by the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, President Mandela brought to the attention of Mr. Wolfensohn the fact that Sub Saharan African countries were lagging the rest of the world in Science and Technology and was falling further and further behind. It was estimated at the time that the average number of scientists and engineers per million was about 83 in the region, significantly below the average across North Africa (423) and all developing countries (514). Estimates recorded in other parts of the world were much higher: 783 in Asia (excluding Japan) and 1102 in industrial countries. Likewise, expenditures in research and development as a percentage of GDP in Africa were and continue to be way below those of the rest of the world (about 0.002% compared to more than 1% for industrialized countries and 0.318% for the world as a whole). The same proportions apply to critical indicators such as the number of patents, academic publications and so on. This led President Mandela to request that the World Bank support a novel approach to develop science and technology in higher education in Africa. This in turn led to the creation of the Nelson Mandela Institution for Knowledge Building and the Advancement of Science and Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa (NMI).

A Unique Partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and NMI

The World Bank decided to support the Nelson Mandela initiative and provided seed money that, along with the endorsement of the African heads of state, helped develop the NMI concept and the resulting action. NMI’s objectives are to launch a global effort to support the creation of world-class learning institutions or centres of excellence in Africa (Nelson Mandela African Institutes of Science and Technology, NM-AIST) with incentive structures for promoting a culture of excellence in the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge, particularly in the area of science and technology and management, and their use to foster the region’s development and narrow the growing scientific and technological gap between it and the rest of the world; to improve the quality of education; facilitate increased information flows across member countries and other areas of the world; and to enable continuing education and lifelong learning.

NMI defined strategies to achieve these objectives. First, through the establishment of campuses in different part of Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus initially on graduate education in science & technology. Second, by using a merit-based common entrance exam to select the best and brightest students with the potential to become leaders, regardless of their capacity to pay for the tuition. Third, NMI through engagement of leading international scientists and engineers, and African Diaspora in teaching, research and outreach to industry and the community (turn brain drain to brain circulation). Other strategies include the development of a bottom-up entrepreneurial approach to education, research and innovation that can solve African problems; the adoption of a transparent approach to governance and fundraising; and the establishment of partnerships, networks/linkages with other universities in and outside Africa, and industry to diffuse knowledge and innovation across Africa.

Using this overall framework, African countries were asked to bid for the right to host the first NMI AIST in Africa. Cameroon, Tanzania and Nigeria expressed interest but Nigeria, under the leadership, vision and direct involvement of President Olusegun Obasanjo, submitted the most generous bid. As a result, AUST was established in Nigeria in 2007.

After the successful bid, a Cooperation Agreement (the Agreement) was signed between Nigeria and NMI on October 6th, 2007. Under the Agreement, NMI undertook, among other things, to build an African Institute of Science and Technology to be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, CAP C.20, 2004, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) as a private entity wholly-owned by NMI. AUST was then established and registered with CAC on February 7, 2007 as a wholly-owned affiliate of NMI.

In return, Nigeria undertook to support and cooperate with NMI and assist NMI’s activities including those of the AUST project to the extent that its resources permit and otherwise support the implementation of the AUST project. In addition, Nigeria granted NMI and its entities privileges, including AUST, immunities and protection granted to diplomatic missions and other international organizations. Under the Agreement, NMI and its affiliates, including AUST, are subject to the laws of the Government of Nigeria unless they receive specific exemptions by an appropriate agency of the Government. NMI and its affiliate, AUST, have endeavored to respect this prescription.

In fulfillment of its commitment under the Agreement, the Nigerian government directed the Federal Capital Territory administration to put at the disposition of NMI’s affiliate, AUST, a site of 240 hectares of land in Abuja. AUST was used because of its legal existence in Nigeria. FCT’s role however was more fundamental because it also helped set up the NMI office in Nigeria, provided early and critical financial and logistical support, and generally helped put NMI on a sound footing in Nigeria. It was clearly understood however that it was under the NMI mandate in the context of the Cooperation Agreement. Nigeria also directed the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) to provide funds to AUST for buildings. NNPC provided grants to fund scholarships for deserving Nigerian students in petroleum engineering studies, a key area of the Nigerian economy. It also funded other critical early needs. In addition to the assistance from the Federal Government of Nigeria, NMI and its affiliate, AUST, have also benefited from grants provided by well-known international organizations such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF).

AUST was licensed by the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) on December 11th, 2007 based on an academic brief submitted to it. It is a unique institution in the sense that in its current phase, it has only a scientific and engineering program that awards only advanced degrees, Master’s Degree and PhDs in five areas: Petroleum Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Pure and Applied Mathematics, and Theoretical and Applied Physics. The Ministry of Finance, Education and Science and Technology all played critical roles to support NMI in establishing AUST.

AUST’S Learning Edge & Philosophy

There are only about a dozen of graduate-only learning institutions in Science and Technology in the world, AUST being the only one in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since it started operations in 2008, it has enrolled hundreds of students from 17 African countries including Nigeria in graduate studies. About one fifth of the enrolled and graduated students have been females. About 60% of the students enrolled and graduated have been Nigerians. AUST’s reputation is growing as an African centre of excellence and universities from countries like Ghana and are sending their academics to be trained at AUST. Both NMI and AUST directly employ about 100 Nigerians at various levels and pay related employment taxes. They also provide services and contracts to many Nigerian firms. As such, they contribute to employment creation in Nigeria.

A key principle of NMI and AUST is that a student who otherwise passes their rigorous admission examination should not be denied admission simply because he or she cannot pay for the tuition and board costs. As a result, most students, including those from Nigeria are given scholarships. Scholarship funds have come from some state governments in Nigeria, from the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), from the African Development Bank and from the African Capacity Building Foundation. In addition, the Nigerian Government has financed special scholarships for students from some of the poorest African countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone under its Department of Technical Cooperation and Assistance (DTCA) program with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Private companies such as Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank of Africa, Total Petroleum and Huawei have also provided financial help to assist students

In addition to the scholarships, the African Development Bank has also financed infrastructure and scientific equipment. As a result, AUST now has one of the most modern and advanced scientific laboratories in Sub-Saharan Africa. These fine scientific facilities are already being used by many Nigerian universities with which AUST has many partnership agreements, and by some private sector companies.

This scholarship policy to admit needy but deserving students, most of whom have come from Nigeria, naturally leads to perpetual pressure on NMI and AUST’s finances to find scholarship funds. Both institutions are therefore constantly looking for new partners and, thus, deserve to be continually supported.

Without the generous bid made by the Nigerian government, its provision of key land assets and other financial resources, the support provided by its many agencies, and the signing of the Cooperation Agreement with NMI, AUST would not have been created. Just as importantly, the granting of a diplomatic privileges through the Cooperation Agreement has greatly facilitated the movement of first rate scientists from all other the world, including Nigerians and other Africans of the diaspora. This has helped provide an excellent education not just to Nigerians but other African students. AUST has become a magnet attracting students and scientists from all over Africa and from beyond Africa, while the support of international institutions such as the World Bank and the African Development has endowed it with exceptional laboratory facilities which are being used by other universities and even industry across the region for their research and tests. Meanwhile, students have come from about 18 African countries, from north to south, east and west to get a world class education, thanks to the special kind of FGN-NMI partnership that was established. Last but not the least, the National University Commission, in addition to granting a license to AUST, has continued to be a good partner, providing advice and guidance.