By Omar Bah
The Alliance 4 Universities (A-4U), a consortium of Spanish universities, has signed a capacity building partnership agreement with the Gambia-based American International University West Africa (AIUWA).
The agreement is signed under the European Union Erasmus+ project.
The four universities are Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
The purpose of the MoU is to define the framework of collaboration between both parties in any area which is felt to be desirable and feasible for the development and strengthening of their cooperative relationship.
According to the agreement, both parties will enhance relations in matters related to academic education, science and research, culture and human capital development, sharing of information and knowledge, and any other aspects which aim toward the internationalisation of higher education, in accordance with the legislation of their respective countries. The agreement will include exchange programs between studies, university staff and pursuance of master’s degrees for AIUWA students in Spain.
The Chancellor and founding president of AIUWA, Dr Dinesh Shulkla said the agreement will expose the students to different surroundings and that Spain promises to be a very promising model for students from Africa.
“But at the same time, Africa and the Gambia in particular have very rich cultures and the circumstances are a bit different. So, both universities will benefit immensely through the agreement,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the agreement will yield something very tangible for both parties and assured the Spanish delegation of his university’s unwavering commitment to the agreement.
The president of the association, Dr Juan Jose Romo Urroz, said during the process of implementing the agreement, the Spanish universities will look into all possible partnerships including helping the AIUWA university to tap into the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ project.
