HC Deb 10 March 1959 vol 601 c1079
33. Colonel Beamish

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement about the activities of the Carnegie Corporation and the Ford and Rockfeller Foundations in British Dominions, Colonies, and territories in Africa, stating in particular approximately what sums have so far been spent in these areas and for what purposes; and if he will give an outline of the information received by Her Majesty's Government concerning their plans for the future, as well as an assurance that there is the closest possible liaison between these foundations, Government Departments, and the Governments concerned.

Mr. J. Amery

As the reply is inevitably rather long, I will, with my hon. and gallant Friend's permission, circulate it with the OFFICIAL REPORT:

The statement is as follows: The Carnegie Corporation of New York, through their British Dominions and Colonies Programme, have for many years given invaluable assistance to education in many parts of Africa. Since the war, their assistance has been concentrated largely in the development of the universities and higher technical colleges in East, West and Central Africa and in close association with the Inter-University Council for Higher Education Overseas and the Council on Oversea Colleges of Arts, Science and Technology. A current example is a training scheme for locally born junior members of the academic and library staffs of university colleges. But for full details of the many schemes and the sums allocated to them I must refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the published annual reports of the Corporation dating back to 1930. As the result of missions sent to Africa in 1957 and 1958, the Ford Foundation recently announced the inauguration of an Africa Programme of assistance to schools, colleges, universities and technical institutes in East, West and Central Africa to a total of over $1 million. Grants already approved have gone to university colleges to provide accommodation for visiting scholars and research workers and to technical institutes for library development. The work of the Rockfeller Foundation in Africa dates back at least to the formation of the Foundation's West Africa yellow fever commission of 1925. The successful research which they conducted at Entebbe and Yaba, with which the name of Dr. Mahaffy will always be associated, has been of inestimable value to the peoples of the African continent. I would like to take this opportunity of paying tribute to the continued interest of the Foundation in this work and its extension to research into other viruses. Again I must ask my hon. and gallant Friend to refer to the published annual report of the Foundation for details of the many grants which they have made through the years. Members of my Department keep closely in touch with the specialist and executive staff of these Foundations, assist them in making arrangements for their tours of Africa and discuss possible projects with them. It is becoming increasingly the practice for surveys of specific problems in Africa to be undertaken at the expense of these Foundations jointly by experts from the United States, the United Kingdom and the African territory concerned. Several important surveys of this kind are at present under discussion, but I am sure that my hon. and gallant Friend will understand that I must not anticipate an announcement by the Trustees in relation to them.