SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, July 25. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cabildo de Tenerife has today hosted a forum on international cooperation, within the program of Campus Africa, in which representatives of African societies, academic and ministerial personalities have participated with the aim of reinforcing the bonds of cooperation that, since the academic field and research unite Tenerife with the neighboring continent.
The event, which was inaugurated by the second vice president and island councilor for the Presidency, Finance and Modernization, Berta Pérez, also included the participation of the CEO of Foreign Action, Liskel Álvarez; the Minister of State for Defense and Territorial Cohesion of Cape Verde, Janine Tatiana Sanntos; the deputy of the Assembly of Guinea Conakry, Zoupé Zogbelemou, and the mayor of the Senegalese municipality of Dabaly, Samba Sall, among other authorities. Along with them, there were also more than 50 African students with scholarships from Campus Africa.
Berta Pérez highlighted “the role that international cooperation has in the relations that the Cabildo maintains with its neighboring countries, mainly with Cape Verde, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, as priority partners” and stressed “the importance of this meeting, in in which academics, entrepreneurs, professionals participate, and we lay the foundations to promote new exchanges of experience and knowledge”.
The second vice president mentioned the lines of collaboration with the African continent that “are being promoted by the Cabildo through cooperation projects, not only at the academic level, but also in other fields related to the well-being of African societies, the protection of the environment, adaptation to climate change, resource efficiency and business development”.
In this context, Liskel Álvarez recalled that this year “the Cabildo is collaborating, together with other partners from the Azores and Madeira and from the African continent, in five cooperation projects related to research, technological development and innovation” through the Program European Territorial Cooperation Interreg MAC 2014-2020.
“In addition, we have approved an item of 400,000 euros to finance international development cooperation projects promoted by NGOs and other cooperation agents in Africa and Latin America,” he added.
The CEO explained that at the moment, the Cabildo collaborates in the financing of five international cooperation projects in vulnerable regions of Senegal, Niger, Chad and the Ivory Coast, in collaboration with the Spanish Red Cross, the Entreculturas Foundation, the Maman Africa Association and the NGO International Cooperation.
Finally, he referred to the recent publication of the bases of the new call for African Scholarships that the Cabildo plans to launch soon with a budget of 360,000 euros, destined to finance work practices abroad.
During the event, recognition was given to the co-directors of Campus Africa, Basilio Valladares and José Gómez Soliño, for contributing with their work to consolidate Tenerife as an international focus for research, innovation and scientific cooperation for the exchange of knowledge.
Among the speakers was the rector of the University of Cape Verde, José Arlindo Barreto; the vice-chancellors María de Fátima Fernandes and Dominika Swolkien Arlindo Fernandes; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Action of the Government of the Canary Islands, Juan Rafael Zamora Padrón; and the deputy for Las Palmas and spokesman for Migration in the Congress of Deputies, Luc André Diouf.
