On March 16th 2009 the British Embassy held a Conference on the Impact of the Chevening Program in Angola to celebrate the 25 years of the Chevening Program. HMA Pat Phillips delivered the opening speech to an audience comprised of Government officials, diplomatic representatives, University Rectors, UN agencies, private sector companies and civil society representatives.

Objectives and Methodology

The conference commemorated 25 years of achievement and was a venue for reflection of the impact of Chevening on Angola’s development. It was also the perfect venue to share ideas and experiences in terms of networking.

The methodology was inclusive and participatory which encouraged the participants to contribute in a frank fashion allowing an open discussion of the issues and rich contributions on how best can Chevening contribute to build a strong front for higher education promotion.

The Debates

After evaluating the relevance of discussing scholarship impact, it was acknowledge the importance of continually sending talented Angolan leaders on scholarships under the Chevening program so that they can gain substantial knowledge to effectively contribute to Angola development.

It has been stressed that the Chevening program creates multicultural bonds that enable its beneficiaries to adopt a global view and seek the strengthening of relationships between countries.

The debates revolved around:

• The importance of living and studying in a multicultural environment
• Programmatic approach to post-study integration
• The strategic importance of the English language in the SADC (Southern Africa Development Community) region
• The need to strengthen interaction amongst the Chevening Scholars as a tool to promote the Angolan culture in the UK
• The importance of scholars  returning to the country after completing their studies

The conference acknowledged the importance of international scholarships for the country development. However, the lack of comprehensive research to access that impact impairs the discussions on the matter from achieving concrete conclusions.

The participants appealed to the Government officials who attended to develop and implement a research to accurately access the impact of international scholarships on the development of the Angola.

Conclusions

The participants recognised that the Chevening Program represents a major contribution to the country by making it possible for its future leaders to be exposed to a diverse atmosphere in terms of high level technical experience and cultural background which equips the country to positively respond to global challenges.

Action Points:

There is a need to establish an Alumni association to:

1. Promote the English language as a tool for integration in the SADC region.
2. Develop academic coaching programmes to share the Chevening scholar’s experience in the UK with other Angolan students who have not benefited from such a programme.
3. Create a co-operation trilogy comprising Academic Institutions-Public and Private Companies-Chevening Program for the production and publication of scientific research on vast range of subjects.
4. To promote public events in the UK to promote the Angolan culture and history.  

The conference recommended:

• The acceleration of the process of attribution of certificate equivalence for freshly returned scholars
• A programmatic response to post-study integration in the form of an agreement with Public and Private institutions
• continuing the debate of the Chevening scholars contribution with universities
• holding similar events more regularly and engaging public institutions

The Chevening Conference was ended with a closing speech of the State Secretary for Higher Education who praised the British Government for its continuous support for the Country’s development.  

Luanda March 16th 2009