28 October 2013

University to welcome delegation from Gabon

Photo opportunity: 9.45am on Thursday, 31st October at Peters Building, University of Dundee. The Gabonese delegation will meet with University staff.

The University of Dundee will this week welcome Gabon's Minister of Education to campus as part of a UK tour aimed at improving the African country's education system and identifying business opportunities.

Seraphin Moundounga will visit Dundee along with five colleagues from his Ministry on Thursday, 31st October. They will meet with staff from the Graduate School of Natural Resources Law, Policy and Management to discuss oil and gas programmes as well as other opportunities for collaboration with the University.

Abundant reserves of oil and foreign private investment have helped make the Gabonese Republic one of the most prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The delegation is interested in gaining an insight into educational systems in the UK to identify possible solutions to challenges in education in their country and to explore potential business relationships with UK organisations.

The specific programmes they are looking to establish include initiatives for training in Gabon or in the UK on national exchanges, sending Gabonese experts to the UK for capacity building, and study on undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Iain Ball, Dean of the School, said, "We are looking forward to welcoming Mr Moundounga and his colleagues to Dundee and to discussing the role we can potentially play in aiding the development of Gabon.

"The University seeks to transform lives locally and globally through the creation, sharing and application of knowledge and we certainly can help countries with natural resources to help improve the lives of their people through sustainable development. Education is the key to empowering countries to maximise the long-term benefits of these resources and we have a number of innovative programmes to educate the next generation of leaders."

The Graduate School of Natural Resources Law, Policy and Management was formed in 2006 to bring together disparate research centres which already had a longstanding international reputation for graduate teaching, research and specialist expertise on natural resources issues.

Within the School, these Centres continue to grow and forge co-operative relationships in research and teaching across the areas of law, policy and management with a focus on the energy, water and mineral resources sectors.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
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