Minister Joe Costello launches Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme in South Africa

Minister Joe Costello launches Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme in South Africa

Minister for Trade and Development, Mr Joe Costello T.D., today launched The Kader Asmal Fellowship Programme to support 10 South African students to study in Ireland.

Under the fellowship programme, Irish Aid will support the South African students to undertake Masters or Post-Graduate Diploma level studies in Ireland next year. The successful students will undertake studies in strategically-important disciplines including finance, business, engineering, sustainable technologies and public health and nutrition.  Launching the fellowships, Minister Costello said:  

 “Through this programme Irish Aid is strategically addressing the critical shortage of appropriately skilled personnel. These shortages have been identified as an impediment to South Africa achieving its full development potential. The Fellowship Programme is part of a wider programme of skills development and capacity-building which Irish Aid supports to promote  inclusive economic growth. 

I am also very proud to recognise the enormous contribution made to both South Africa and Ireland by the late Kader Asmal and to name this Fellowship Programme in his honour.”

Minister Costello was joined at the launch in Cape Town by Mrs Louise Asmal. Professor Kader Asmal taught law at Trinity College for 27 years and specialised in human rights, labour, and international law. He co-founded the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement in 1963 and served as Chair until his return to South Africa 1990. He was part of the ANC team that negotiated the transition to democracy. In 1994, he became Minister for Water Affairs and Forestry in the first ANC Government after the advent of democracy and served as Minister for Education from 1999 to 2004. He died in June 2011.