Former Brazilian Minister Celso Amorim gives opening lecture to kick off the IBRAF Fellowship Program
The first cohort of the IBRAF Fellowship Program on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (IFP), initiative to foster scientific research carried out by the Brazil Africa Institute, will start this February 9 with the masterclass “The Brazil-Africa Relations in the Perspective of South-South Cooperation”, lectured by Ambassador Celso Amorim, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Brazil.
The first IFP class counts on nine Fellows from eight different countries: South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
“South-South and Triangular Cooperation is one of the main catalysts for international development and is one of the main points that guide the Institute’s actions. We are very excited about the beginning of the program and the results that we will achieve ”, says Professor João Bosco Monte, president of the Brazil Africa Institute, who will also participate in the opening lecture.
During the program, the Fellows will have the opportunity to follow practical experiences, enable them to monitor and study the international cooperation projects being developed by IBRAF, as well as its wide network of partner organizations. They will also have the opportunity to engage in other exclusive masterclasses with internationally renowned professionals.
“It is difficult to conduct research when you are missing data. This lack of data limits the development of effective solutions or to have a wider point of view. This fellowship is an opportunity to have hands-on experiences (training, collaborations etc.), to collect those missing data and to have some concrete case studies”, says participant Sidnoma Nita Belemsobgo, from Burkina Faso, PhD student in Public and Environmental Law at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
The IFP also has a qualified Faculty to guide Fellows. Dr. Adriana Abdenur, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Plataforma CIPÓ; Dr. Frannie Leautier, Senior Partner of the SouthBridge Group; Dr. Kapil Kapoor, CEO of Developex, Dr. Martin Fregene, Director of Agriculture and Agribusiness at the African Development Bank; and Dr. Pedro Almeida, Independent Scholar and former Head of Basic & Infrastructure Industries at the World Economic Forum.
IFP is conceived as a program of on-site practices carried out in Brazil. For the class of 2021, aiming to ensure the safety of all and comply with sanitary standards due to the pandemic, the activities of the Fellows will be conducted online.
About the Brazil Africa Institute
The Brazil Africa Institute (IBRAF) is a facilitator of good practices that aims to promote international cooperation and engagement between Brazil and the African continent, defending the economic development of countries, the convergence of private sector and governments interests and the enhancement of multilateral relations. IBRAF creates and encourage initiatives that promote trade and investments, technical and scientific cooperation, professional training and the strengthening of academic research.
