Columbia opens latest Global Center in Nairobi

By Maina Waruru. Columbia University in the United States has launched a new Global Center in Nairobi for the African continent, to serve as a regional hub for research and collaboration as part of the institution’s strategy to achieve a global presence.
The Nairobi centre – which has 35 staff members and is based in a large, modern building – will also host initiatives such as the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) founded by the university’s Earth Institute and headed by celebrated economist Jeffrey Sachs. Launched last week by Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki in a ceremony also attended by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the centre will be a focal point for African scholarly and research initiatives and will seek collaborations with higher education institutions, governments, NGOs and civil society. It is the latest in a chain of seven other centres opened across the world, including in Santiago (Chile), Amman (Jordan), Paris (France), Beijing (China), Istanbul (Turkey) and Mumbai (India). Read More...