AN innovative project to reduce poverty in Africa has won a prestigious award for one of its partners, the University of Greenwich. The Tabeisa project also includes Coventry University and four higher education institutions in Africa.

The award of a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education was announced at St James's Palace on Thursday, November 15. The awards are due to be presented by HM the Queen at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in February.

Queen's Anniversary Prizes "reward universities and colleges that demonstrate work of a world-class standard of excellence". The judges' citation says the Tabeisa project is "distinctive in mobilising higher education resources in- country to address the challenge of wealth creation at the grass roots, and has given profile to the UK's commitment to assisting positive change in challenging environments". Tabeisa works with poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa. It tackles poverty by supporting small business and social enterprise projects. Since 1994 Tabeisa has supported over 1000 commercial start-up enterprises, developed over 200 social enterprises, created over 2,000 new jobs and distributed 150,000 AIDS awareness packs. Its successes include a tie up with a leading fashion store, to sell ethically- produced clothing made by women's collectives in Ghana and five Tabeisa Enterprise Centres in South Africa and Ghana. Lord Kinnock, Chair of the British Council, and Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Higher Education, have both visited Tabeisa projects and the initiative has attracted £11 million funding from the European Union, the British government and other backers in Africa and Europe. Bill Rammell says: "I wish to congratulate the University of Greenwich and all the partners involved in the Tabeisa project, in winning this prestigious prize. I visited the Tabeisa project in Ghana and was impressed on how it helps build capacity and reduce poverty in the African economy through English and African University partnerships.

"This project is an excellent example of government, universities, communities and young people working together to improve their future.

DIUS supported this very worthwhile project through its England-Africa Partnerships programme."

Professor John Humphreys, Pro Vice- Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, set up the Tabeisa partnership with Jane Conlon MBE, Mike Goldstein and David Fussey. He says: "This award is an honour for the many people in the UK, and in Africa, who have worked so hard to contribute to Tabeisa's success.

"Africa is the only continent in which the proportion of poor people is rising. Economic stagnation and deteriorating public health have both exacerbated poverty in Africa. Tabeisa addresses these causes, boosting jobs and promoting health education, so that people in some of the most deprived communities in the world have a chance of a better future."