KINGSTON, Jamaica — The University of the West Indies (UWI) has signed an agreement which will see the establishment of a UWI/Johannesburg Institute for Global African Affairs in South Africa.

The agreement, signed between UWI vice-chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles and vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg Professor Ihron Rensburg, undertakes to develop a bridge between the Caribbean and South Africa, and Africa in general, according to a release from UWI’s Marketing and Communications Office.

Speaking at the official signing ceremony, Beckles reportedly said the Caribbean has a critical role to play and would also benefit from the phenomenal global rise of Africa in the next ten to twenty years. Attracting African investments and general interest in our region has to be a top priority, he added, given that billions of dollars and asset values are leaving Africa annually for locations in Europe and North America, bypassing the Caribbean that fought for African liberation and nation building.

Vice-chancellor Rensburg said South Africa and Nigeria, Africa’s two largest economies, must invest in the Caribbean to generate the growth critically needed on all sides.

The release said that the new institute will be a jointly owned and managed institute and will operate within the two universities. It will conduct joint research, teaching, and public advocacy around the many elements of sustainable economic and social development.

UWI said the institute, in the next academic year, hoped to offer a joint master’s degree in Global African Affairs that focuses upon trade, diplomacy, economic development, cultural industries, and other aspects of 21st century Africa and Caribbean Diasporas.

This development follows the State University of New York (SUNY) UWI Centre for Leadership and Sustainable Development, and the UWI China Institute of Information Technology (UWICIIT) in Suzhou, China.