Status report - The Catholic University of Angola Project Filippo Nardin, Boston, October 1996

    1. Introduction

Angola is slowly moving toward a peaceful future after years of devastating civil war. With the country facing the challenges of a post-war society, much has to be done to provide the resources to help address these challenges and to allow Angolans to look to the future with confidence.

Implementing the Lusaka Protocol and rebuilding Angola's infrastructure will require financial resources far beyond Angola's capabilities. While Angolan cash and in-kind contributions to these efforts will amount to over $370 million, the international community's support and assistance for the peace process is vital to its success. Major international donors and NGO partners are currently working in Angola to ensure a successful transition to peace. Efforts toward establishing higher education institutions is crucial in supporting Angola during this process.

In response to this situation, His Eminence Alexandre Cardinal do Nascimento and the Roman Catholic Church of Angola have taken the first steps in establishing Angola's first private institution of higher learning, the Catholic University of Angola (CUA).

While the Cardinal has visualized this university for many years, it is now, with peace on the horizon, that the establishment of the university is within reach. Resolving the conflicts and addressing the problems associated with prolonged internal armed struggle are the highest priority in Angola today. Nevertheless, it is hoped that an institution such as CUA can make an important contribution in building a better future for the Angolan people.

The currently existing public university in Angola, located in Luanda and named after Agostinho Neto, has three campuses that have been severely devastated by economic conditions and the war: in its current conditions, it cannot accommodate the increasing student population. The Catholic University of Angola will grow in synergy with the public university to expand access to higher education for all Angolans.

A press conference was held in Luanda on June 1, 1996, at the building returned by the government to the Archdiocese for the Catholic University of Angola, at which the Cardinal of Angola gave information about the status of the project. From left: AEAF board members Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy, Cardinal do Nascimento, a government translator, Michael LeM. Kennedy and James Hayward (Citizens Energy).

Prospects for recovery in Angola depend on a host of factors, including: the degree to which peace is restored, the establishment of a stable political system, the implementation of economic reforms, the extent and timing of international assistance, debt restructuring, the rehabilitation of the nation's infrastructure, future oil earnings and the strengthening of Angola's skill base.

    2. International Support

The implementation of the Catholic University of Angola will require financial resources from the international community. In 1995, Cardinal do Nascimento requested the assistance of Michael Kennedy and Citizens Energy Corporation in coordinating this effort.

Citizens Energy began a commercial relationship with Angola in the mid-1980's and since then has carried out a variety of technical assistance projects to benefit the people and country of Angola. At the same time, the Boston-based organization expanded its commercial presence there. Citizens readily agreed to work on the project proposed by the Cardinal, as it provides another opportunity for Citizens Energy to fulfill its mission of combining commercial success with social good.

Dra. Albina Africano, Angola Minister of Petroleum, announces during a lunch at the Club des Empresarios in Luanda on May 31, 1996, the support of the government for the Catholic University of Angola project. From left: Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy, Cardinal do Nascimento, Mr. Jose Paiva (SONANGOL), Dra. Albina Africano and Michael LeM. Kennedy (Citizens Energy).

With generous support from MOBIL, Engen Ltd. (now ENERGY AFRICA), SAGA, and Citizens Energy Corporation, the "Angola Education Assistance Fund, Inc." (AEAF), was created as a non-for-profit organization to provide financial and logistical support for the Catholic University of Angola project. Along with this international corporate support, the Minister of Petroleum of Angola, Dra. Albina Africano, and SONANGOL, the Angolan national oil company, have been extremely supportive throughout the first phase of the development and have pledged to actively collaborate with the AEAF on this project.

    3. The Catholic University of Angola

The Catholic University of Angola will be an open university, its object being the human, academic and professional education of the Angolan people.

As an open university, it will be ruled by principles of absolute liberty of access, regardless of race, sex, religion and social and economic conditions, with the only limits being those deriving from available space and academic selection criteria.

As a non-state university, it will be ruled by principles of private law, enjoying statutory, pedagogical, scientific, disciplinary, administrative and financial autonomy.

The development of CUA shall consist of several phases. On a preliminary level, its activity will be concentrated in the city of Luanda and will give priority to those courses which are most relevant to the present social and economic conditions of the country and the urgent need of reconstruction in the post-war period. Therefore, the utmost priority will be in CUA's contribution to the reorganization of the educational, economic and administrative systems of the country. The curricula official language will be Portuguese language.

The future site of the first building of the Catholic University of Angola in Luanda.

In light of Angola's transition to a market economy after decades of socialism, an educated workforce will be critical to the country's continued development. CUA will contribute to the transition through its public administration and business management course offerings, emphasizing the concepts of competition and economic freedom.

As soon as it reaches a stage of institutional maturity, CUA will ensure the preparation of its own future teaching staff as well as offer a diversified range of courses and programs in the areas of literary culture, science, and technology in accordance with a university concept that respects the richness of human nature and embraces the complexity of the various subjects of learning. Similarly, in later stages of CUA's expansion, it will expand its reach to other Angolan cities, to facilitate access and to foster diversity.

The cornerstone of the Catholic University will be a 2-story building located near the center of Luanda, which was donated by the local city government. Although in need of extensive renovation, this building contains 17 classrooms spread out over two wings, a laboratory, and a large room available for physical education.

In support of CUA, the Luanda Commissariat donated a parcel of land with optimal building conditions which extends for an area of approximately 10,000 square meters and is adjacent to the initial building. Once the first building has been renovated, CUA can focus on the design and construction of a second building which will house the administrative and support offices on campus. It will include: a dining hall, the university library, a chapel, a 300-seat auditorium, a computer center, a media collection/multimedia room, teachers' rooms, work/research rooms, meeting rooms, an exhibition hall, the Chancellor's office, a support services office, and areas for socialization.

A successful fundraising campaign will be necessary to insure the completion of this second building supporting the university's initial activities and providing for enrollment growth in the future.

The future site for the first building of the Catholic University of Angola in Luanda: view from the 2nd floor.

    4. The Angola Educational Assistance Fund, Inc. (AEAF)

Michael Kennedy, late chairman of Citizens Energy Corporation and the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, announced the establishment of the "Angola Educational Assistance Fund, Inc." (AEAF), in June, 1996. The AEAF was created to operate as a not-for-profit organization to facilitate the establishment of the Catholic University of Angola. The AEAF currently operates as a charitable and tax-exempt foundation, which qualifies for tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Codes.

The AEAF's mission includes carrying out fund-raising and overseeing generally the construction of new buildings on behalf of the Catholic University of Angola. In addition, the AEAF will help to coordinate curriculum development and visiting professorships with universities and colleges in the U.S. and other countries. Finally, the AEAF will also assist in coordinating the relationship of the Catholic University of Angola with both the government of the Republic of Angola and the Holy See in Rome.

MOBIL, Engen Ltd. (now ENERGY AFRICA), SAGA, and Citizens Energy, are the original "contributors" to the AEAF, with initial donations totaling more than 1.5 million US$. In addition to these contributions, Citizens Energy will dedicate a portion of its net proceeds from oil production in offshore Block One, if commercial reserves are found there. The AEAF is in the process of establishing its board of directors and an executive committee.

    5. Citizens Energy Corporation

Citizens Energy Corporation (CEC) was founded in 1979 on the belief that business and social goals are not mutually exclusive. Citizens' mission is to use business enterprise for social good by developing new forms of commercial arrangements to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged people and to create new commercial and social relationships, especially between developed and developing nations, that allow these nations to maximize human, economic, and natural resources.

Citizens Energy has been doing business in Africa for over 15 years. Its commercial success has allowed Citizens to finance various social programs, development projects and humanitarian assistance efforts throughout the continent.

Citizens Energy has enjoyed commercial relations with Angola for over a decade in the oil trading and exploration business. On the social development side, the Catholic University of Angola is Citizens' most ambitious project to date. Citizens Energy is working closely with the Archdiocese of Luanda and is responsible for the coordination of this effort. Citizens Energy contributed for more than 600,000 US$ to the startup of this project.

        

The future site for the first building of the Catholic University of Angola in Luanda: view of a classroom and the entrance.

Beyond the establishment of the Catholic University of Angola, Citizens will continue to facilitate and finance socially responsible projects in the region. Examples thus far in Angola include:

• In 1988 and 1989, Citizens sponsored and organized two fact-finding missions to Angola with U.S. congressmen and business leaders.
• Citizens Energy co-founded the U.S. Angola Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. in 1990, and continues to advocate diplomatic and commercial relationships between the U.S. and Angola.
• In 1991, CEC sponsored a solar fish drying facility in the coastal village of Ota-Ganga, Cacuaco.
• In December 1992, Citizens coordinated three emergency airlifts at the height of renewed fighting in the ongoing Angolan civil war, including one of the first airlifts of medical supplies.
• Since 1993, Citizens has sponsored a number of projects with Africare and ADPP and their work with orphaned children and "des-locados" in Angola.
• Citizens Energy sponsored and organized a visit to South Africa and Angola in June 1996, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's visit to the region. In Angola, the delegation met with President Eduardo dos Santos and various government ministers, to discuss the Catholic University of Angola and other project opportunities in the country.

Cardinal do Nascimento and Michael LeM. Kennedy discussing the Catholic University of Angola project at the lunch reception hosted by the Angola Minister of Petroleum at the Club des Empresarios in Luanda on May 31, 1996.