Conference to tackle poverty in Africa

Reducing poverty in Africa’s developing countries will be the subject of a conference later today.

President Mary McAleese will officially open the four-day event for the Irish-African Partnership Research Capacity Building (IAPRCB).

Up to 60 university and academic leaders from nine Irish and Northern Irish universities and four African universities, including presidents, vice-chancellors, vice-presidents for research and faculty heads, will attend the event.

The African university representatives are from Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi.

The conference aims to develop a coordinated approach to research-capacity-building in higher education institutions in order to make an effective contribution to the reduction of poverty in those countries.

RTÉ broadcaster Marian Finucane will chair the opening day of the conference at the Helix, which will be the first of six similar workshops.