African bioscience NCE receives $30 million

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA has contributed $30 million from the $500-million Canada Fund for Africa (CFA) to fund a biosciences facility for eastern and central Nairobi Kenya. One of three networks of centres of excellence (NCE) established by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the NEPAD Biosciences Facility aims to leverage information and communication technology on the continent. The other centres are the African Institute for Space Science and the African Laser Centre. The three African NCEs follow a contribution of $745,000 from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) last year to support their creation (R$, December 1/03). The CFA is a key component of CIDA’s bilateral cooperation program in Africa, which will provide more than $6 billion over the next five years....