(News24-South Africa) Eliav Belotsercovsky - Israel has gone through the stages of a developing country. From a barren desert, the size of Kruger National Park, Israel became one of the world's leaders in science and technology, innovation and creativity. The Israel Technical Cooperation Agency - Mashav - was established in 1958 to share Israeli knowledge and expertise with developing countries. Some 36,000 people from various sub-Saharan African countries have been trained in Israel, while 31,000 professionals have benefited from courses conducted in Africa. In the medical field, Israel provides equipment as well as training and follow-up support. For example, two neonatal units were constructed and equipped in Kumasi, Ghana, and local doctors and nurses went to Israel for training. Intensive care and trauma units were set-up and equipped in Gonakry, Guinea, where Israeli doctors arrived to train local professionals. Israel renovated and equipped maternity units in Abobo Gane in the Ivory Coast. Similar medical projects occurred in Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Eritrea and Mauritania. Ethiopia benefited from Israeli experience in avocado cultivation, with the crop becoming one of the main Ethiopian agricultural exports. Agricultural equipment and Israeli irrigation systems were installed at the Gambia School of Agriculture. In Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, an agricultural demonstration farm was established. Similar projects took place in Malawi, Rwanda, Togo, Uganda, Cameroon, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. Israeli agricultural experts based in Nairobi and Lilongwe support and supervise these activities in Africa. The Israeli NGO "Innovation Africa" has for the last 15 years connected water and electricity to more than four million people in Africa using Israeli technology. More than half a million people in Limpopo and Mpumalanga have access to running water thanks to this NGO. The writer is the Israeli ambassador to South Africa.
2023-04-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive