University of Campinas in the State of Sao Paulo and the Government of Zambia have begun a process of approximation that may result in partnerships and collaborative actions in several areas.
As part of a tour of Brazil that includes meetings with representatives of the federal government, the Zambia’s Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Charles Milupi, visited Unicamp.
According to the minister, Brazil and Zambia have similarities, such as the development process they are going through and the climatic characteristics of both.
According to him, these similarities bring the two countries closer together and can facilitate eventual partnerships.
Zambian professor of economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Duncan Chaloba – one of those who participated in the organization of the visit, said that several research projects under development at Unicamp are of interest to the government of Zambia, including those related to renewable energy and the studies on oil that the University is carrying out in partnership with Petrobras.
“Research in these areas can help Zambia a lot,” he said.
The professor also stated that the Zambian government is also interested in research related to agriculture, especially those involving Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) and satellite monitoring systems, something already consolidated in the state-owned company.
For Chaloba, the idea is that the first meeting can accelerate the signing of an agreement between Unicamp and the University of Zambia. In addition to the Minister of State, the African delegation was attended by the country’s ambassador to Brazil, Coillard Muwvema, and 19 other leaders.
The rector of Unicamp, Professor Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, believes that it is very important for Brazil and for the University to maintain contacts like this.
“For a country the size of Brazil, with a large population, a relevant GDP [gross domestic product] and scientific and technological maturity, it is important to establish relationships with the most different countries in the world”, indicated the rector.
“Brazil has the most developed tropical agriculture in the world. We also have a well-developed agro-industrial sector and family farming, something that is probably of interest to countries located in similar regions in terms of climate. So the possibilities for collaboration are great, both at the governmental level and at the level of relations between teaching and research institutions,” said the dean.
The general coordinator of Unicamp, Maria Luiza Moretti, said that she has supported internationalization initiatives and guarantees that the University is interested in expanding these collaborative actions.
She recalled that Unicamp has agreements with educational institutions in Angola and Mozambique – both Portuguese-speaking African countries – and that it intends to expand its partnerships to other countries in the region.
The visit of the Zambian delegation was organized by Deri (Executive Directorate of International Relations).
The meeting was attended by professors Osvaldir Taranto, Rafael Dias and Alfredo de Mello, all from Deri, as well as professor Luiz Carlos Pereira Silva, from the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and architect and urban planner Mariana Rodrigues Ribeiro dos Santos, from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism.