Status report - The Catholic University of Angola Project Filippo Nardin, Boston, April 1997 Published in The Angola Report, Vol.6, No.1, April 1997

    1. Introduction

Angola is moving toward a peaceful future after years of devastating civil war. The peace process will receive an important acceleration with the upcoming inauguration of the new reconciliation government. One of the biggest challenges ahead, however, is the rebuilding of the country's post-war society. Meeting immediate human needs is a necessary current focus, but belief in a recovered and thriving Angola requires attention to long-term needs also, including institutions of higher learning which will educate Angolans in Angola, at the highest world standards. A major step forward in this direction was made in 1992, when the Government of Angola approved legislation recognizing the Catholic University of Angola as a juridical entity and a full-curriculum institution of higher education.

    2. The Catholic University of Angola

In 1996, the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomè appointed an Installation Commission in Luanda to direct all activities related to the creation of the Catholic University of Angola. This fundamental step has been the result of many years of efforts by the Episcopal Conference, and particularly by His Eminence, Cardinal Alexandre do Nascimento. Today, after some delays due to the politically troubled situation in Angola in the past years, the project is finally on its way. The Installation Commission for the Catholic University of Angola (CUA) will be solely responsible for defining the curriculum of the university, for planning its operational budget and for appointing the Rector, the professors and other CUA staff members. The CUA, a full-curriculum institution of higher learning, will be a cornerstone in building a strong and self-sufficient Angola. The CUA will be geared to providing in-country studies and training of Angolan students, and helping Angola's social, economic and political recovery from years of strife. 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 official language of the CUA will be Portuguese. A Law Faculty, a Faculty of Economics and a School of Government focused on public policy studies will be established in the beginning. This curriculum of studies at the Catholic University will help stimulate the debate within the political and economical community of Angola and help the transition to a free-market economy and a modern form of government. Later on, the Installation Commission is considering adding scientific faculties to the curriculum. The Installation Commission has selected the former Colegio S. Josè de Cluny as the interim home of the Catholic University in its first years of existence. This building is located near the Museum of Modern Art, overlooking the sea and the center of Luanda A significant portion of land has been reserved by the Church just outside the center of Luanda, and will become the site of the future Catholic University.

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

Michael Kennedy, 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 will operate as a charitable and tax-exempt foundation, and intends to qualify for tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. The AEAF’s mission includes carrying out fund-raising and representing the interests of the Catholic University within the international business community active in 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. MOBIL, Engen Ltd. (now ENERGY AFRICA), SAGA, and Citizens Energy, are the original contributors to the AEAF, with initial donations totaling more than 1.6 million US$. The AEAF recently established its Board of Governors, that includes the following individuals: Cardinal Alexandre do Nascimento, Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy , Mr. Michael LeM. Kennedy, Dra. Maria de Jesus Barroso Soares, Dra. Albina Assis Africano, Mr. Joaquim da Costa David, Mr. Robert J. Angel, Mr. Torsten Sanness, Mr. James Hayward, Dr. Agostinho de Miranda, Dr. Josè Manuel Cerqueira. For more information on the AEAF, you are invited to visit its homepage at www.aeaf.org: news and updates on the activities of the AEAF are added regularly to the page.

    4. Citizens Energy Corporation

Citizens Energy Corporation (CEC) was founded in 1979. The company's 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 made possible the financing of various social programs, development projects and humanitarian assistance efforts throughout the African continent. Citizens Energy has enjoyed commercial relations with Angola for over a decade in the oil trading and exploration business and has been a long time key supporter of the Catholic University project within the political and business community of Angola. The establishment of the CUA is Citizens’ most ambitious project in Angola, and for which the company contributed more than 700,000 US$ to the AEAF.

 

Note: The Angola Report is a publication of the US-Angola Chamber of Commerce