The Africa-America Institute to Honor Namibia with AAI African National Achievement Award

17 September 2004
Content from a Premium Partner
Africa-America Institute (New York)
press release

The Africa-America Institute will present the AAI African National Achievement Award to the people of Namibia at its 20th Annual Awards Gala: Celebrating Achievements in African Education and International Education on Monday, September 20, 2004, at 6:00 p.m. at the United Nations Delegates Dining Room in New York City. This award honors Namibia's commitment to education at all levels as the means to attain a brighter future for all its citizens. The President of the country, Sam Nujoma, will accept the award at the Gala on behalf of the people of Namibia.

Since achieving independence in 1990, this young nation has reformed teacher education; rewritten the school curricula, and increased funding for education to 25% of the national budget, so that all children, regardless of race, have an opportunity to secure a quality education. Namibia has also, with great foresight and wisdom, recognized the need to develop its capacity for innovation and technology so that it can benefit more fully from its wealth of natural resources. Namibia is thus at this moment laying the foundation for a national Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Technology to establish a national foothold in the more profitable realm of value-added processing.

The heads of many of the delegations attending the General Assembly will attend the dinner to support the honorees:

* President De Menezes of Sao Tome,

* President Mwanawasa of Zambia,

* President Tarja Halonen of Finland

* Prime Minister Mosislili of Lesotho (An AAI Afgrad Alumnus),

* Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama of Ghana

* Deputy Prime Minister Albert H.N. Shabangu of Swaziland.

The Awards Dinner Chair is Maurice Tempelsman, chairman of the board of Lazare Kaplan International Inc., the largest cutter and polisher of "ideal cut" diamonds in the United States, and senior partner of Leon Tempelsman & Son, a mining, minerals, and investment firm with dealings on five continents. The Honorary Awards Dinner Chair is His Excellency Martti Ahtisaari, the President of the Republic of Finland from 1994 to 2000 and the Special Representative of the Secretary General who led a UN peacekeeping group of 8,000 to Namibia to ensure that its first elections would be free and fair.

The AAI Distinguished Alumnus Award will be presented to The Honorable Nahas Angula of Namibia, Founding Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport, as well as Minster of Higher Education, Training, and Employment Creation. Angula instituted classes in the refugee camps during the years of the liberation effort, and as Namibia's first Minister of Education, he oversaw multiple education reforms.

The AAI AWARD of Special Recognition for Promoting Positive U.S.-Africa Relations will be presented to the Honorable Donald Payne, U.S. House of Representatives (D-NJ, 10th). New Jersey's first African-American Congressman and a past Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Payne has long been committed to human betterment through education as well as global peace and justice, with a particular focus on Africa. He cut short a trip to Iraq by a day in order to attend the AAI Awards gala.

Last year, AAI launched the Education Partnership Campaign: 50,000 New Leaders in 5 years. AAI has already raised $9.2 million from public and private cash and pledges, exceeding the 2003/2004 target. The U.S government in fiscal year 2003 and 2004 has contributed $3 million; the Namibian Government gave $600,000; and the Senegalese government has pledged $1.5 million. The Education Partnership Campaign will provide advanced training opportunities for citizens of African countries, creating a highly skilled workforce that enables nations to achieve lasting constructive change.

Since its founding in 1953, AAI has been the primary strategic partner of U.S. government agencies in administering the education and professional training programs that prepare Africans to build healthy societies. AAI has accelerated the ability of African nations to mold their own futures by helping 20,000 Africans complete college, graduate level, and professional training. Eighty-five percent of AAI participants have returned to their native countries trained and eager to make a difference in the lives of their compatriots. A multi-racial, multi-ethnic, non-profit organization, AAI has offices in New York and Washington, D.C. and a presence in 50 African nations.

For more information on AAI, visit www.aaionline.org. Telephone: 212 949-5666. .

Tagged:
Copyright © 2004 Africa-America Institute. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.