For young African girls in sciences and mathematics
The 10th Camp of Excellence in sciences and mathematics for African girls, organized by Pathfinder Foundation of Dr Cheick Modibo Diarra opened at the Regional Center for Solar Energy (CRES) under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Mr. Modibo Sidibe and will last till August 15, 2009.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Salikou Sanogo, Minister of Education, Literacy and National Languages, in the presence of Mr Igor Diarra, Minister of Energy and Water.
Dr Cheick Modibo Diarra, President of Fondation Pathfinder, Binta Ndoye, Managing Director of Ecobank Mali and many other personalities were also present.
Ecobank Foundation supports the Camp of Excellence in sciences and mathematics for young African girls since the 2005 edition held in Burkina Faso. The Foundation participated in previous camps held in Benin in 2007 and Togo in 2008.
The main reason for such an interest is because the two organisations share the same goal which is to contribute to the integration and economic and social progress of Africa by promoting Science and Technology through education, research and technological innovation.
Gervais Koffi Djondo, President of Ecobank Foundation said: "Integration and socioeconomic development of Africa cannot be done without reinforcing capacity building in general and that of girls in particular."
And Gervais Koffi Djondo added: "The Camp of Excellence in sciences and mathematics of Fondation Pathfinder not only advocates excellence and improve girls' knowledge but also and above all it gives them the opportunity to have women as role models."
The support provided by Ecobank Foundation made it possible for Pathfinder Foundation to train nearly 500 African girls to date.
This year more than 35 girls, supervised by nearly 26 lecturers and personnel of Fondation Pathfinder, will participate in this 10th Camp under the theme: "Food security, a priority issue for socio- economic development in Africa." As regards to the training, the Camp will be composed of two groups, one for exact sciences and the other for biological sciences.
African women as role models, selected according to their specializations and positions will talk about their professional activities, their trumps, the constraints in their jobs and will explain how they reconcile all that with their roles as spouses. Among these high profile professionals is Madam Binta Ndoye, Managing Director of Ecobank Mali who will talk to the girls on 12th August 2009 and let them pay a courtesy visit to the bank.
Gervais Koffi Djondo, President of Ecobank Foundation will take part in the presentation of the results of the research work the girls have done, on August 14, 2009 and will attend the closing ceremony on August 15, 2009 at 14:00 pm at Salam Azalai Hotel in Bamako.
About the Camp of Excellence in sciences and mathematics for young African girls:
Initiated for the first time in Bamako in August 2000, the Camp of Excellence in sciences and mathematics for young African girls is at its tenth edition this year in Bamako and welcomes girls of different nationalities from secondary schools that have demonstrated passion for sciences and mathematics. The Camp aims at equipping them with the necessary knowledge for the preparation of A level and their admission into reputable universities.
The Camp is at the same time an educational instrument enabling the different participating countries to compare their educational programs, share experiences as far as education is concerned and an instrument of integration gathering together in the same place, young girls, teachers, trainers and African women scientist of the sub-region. The
Camp also gives them access to role model women scrupulously chosen.
After Mali in 2000, Senegal in 2001, Côte d'Ivoire in 2002, Morocco in 2003, Senegal in
2004, Burkina Faso in 2005, Niger in 2006, Benin in 2007 and Togo in 2008, the Camp
of Excellence is back to its source in Mali, to celebrate its ten years of existence.
About Ecobank (www.ecobank.com)
Incorporated in 1985, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) is the parent company of the leading independent regional banking group in Africa. It currently operates in 27 countries, namely: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central
African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali,
Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and
Uganda. ETI also operates in France through its fully-owned affiliate, EBI SA, a licensed financial company providing trade finance and brokerage services to wholesale customers.
ETI is listed on the stock exchanges in Lagos, Accra and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) – the BRVM. The Group is owned by more than 180,000 shareholders including institutional investors. It has over 11,000 employees from 29 different countries in over 600 branches. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.
About Ecobank Foundation (www.ecobank.com)
Ecobank Foundation was established by Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) with the objective of encouraging and promoting education, social, health, humanitarian, cultural, scientific and other caritative initiatives in the countries where the Group operates and in other parts of the world.
The priority areas are education, health, environment, entrepreneurship, research and culture. For more information, please contact: foundation@ecobank.com
