Our Programmes
The Directorate pursues her mandate through the following operational programmes:
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Scientific and Technical Exchange Programme (STEP)
To facilitate the much-desired strategic integration of African countries through technical cooperation, the Nigerian Government instituted a Nigerian Technical Cooperation Fund (NTCF), which is project and programme driven at the African Development Bank (AfDB). The Fund provides for US$25m as seed/catalyst money to finance the Scientific and Technical Exchange Programme (STEP) of the Directorate over a period of ten years, at a depletion rate of US$2.5m per year. Through the instrument of the NTCF, the Directorate, in collaboration with the AfDB, is mandated to deploy African professionals and experts to serve in needy African countries under STEP with a view to reverting the “brain drain” phenomenon to “brain gain” and “brain circulation” among African countries.
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Advocacy Programmes
The DTCA focuses at challenging the psyche of Africans both at home and in the Diaspora to appreciate the fact that technically, intellectually and indeed on all matters of development, the African professional is not inferior. Real development of Africa on a self-sustaining basis can only be achieved by Africans themselves. In this respect, the DTCA has engaged Embassies/High Commissions of African nations in Nigeria, Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions in other African countries, and in institutional collaboration programmes across the continent as well as with other relevant Diaspora organizations such as Africarecruit, FindajobinAfrica, Afroneth, Nigerians in Diaspora Organizations (NIDO) worldwide, etc.
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Capacity Building/Development Programmes
DTCA receives requests from other African countries seeking for assistance to develop their capacity in various areas. The areas include the following:
1. Development of Science & Technology;
2. Information & Communications Technology;
3. Health;
4. Business & Finance;
5. Agriculture
6. Education -
Collaboration with other Organizations
The DTCA has worked with a number of national and international organizations and institutions, including the Nigerian National Assembly, on a wide variety of technical and capacity building programme aimed at facilitating the development of Africa through the exchange, dissemination and diffusion of knowledge and technology.
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Technical Programmes
Following the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in 2004, and the operationalization of the NTCF in 2006, the Fund has effectively disbursed over US$9,313,435.24. The breakdown of the disbursements is as follows: US$940,010.00 was for completed projects, while US$8,373,425.24 is for ongoing projects. So far, over one hundred (100) projects have been considered under the window of the NTCF. Of this number, thirty (32) projects have been approved with eleven (11) fully concluded, while a further twenty one (21) are at various stages of implementation and therefore classified as ongoing. Eighteen (18) projects are undergoing processing before Ministerial approval can be sought on them. Fifty two (52) projects on the other hand have been rejected for various reasons ranging from non-conformity with the NTCF’s specific areas of intervention, conflict between the project and Nigeria’s national interest/national policy, non alignment to DTCA short, medium and long term strategic plans, to outright withdrawal of the Project by requesting party.
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Database of Experts
The Directorate has built up and maintains a database of African professionals and experts both at home and in the Diaspora willing to serve in African countries to ensure efficient deployment of experts under the Scientific and Technical Exchange Programme (STEP), with over 500 qualified professionals and experts registered on the database. This database is also available to other international organizations and agencies for utilization in the recruitment of African experts for engagement in projects in Africa. Please click the link to join.