PARIS (PANA)�UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor said Africa�s technological and financial dependence must evolve towards inter-dependence and partnership with the international community lending support.

Presenting his prospective international report titled "The World Ahead: Our Future In the Making," he said time has come for African states to take the future of the region in their own hands.

Despite the end of colonialism, he noted, Africa has continued to be technologically and financially dependent on former colonial masters and others.

Mr. Mayor said Africa has the human and natural resource capacity as well as the mechanisms to ensure the region determines its own destiny. Africa currently has some 30,000 holders of doctorate degrees working in developed countries, representing talents that it so badly needs.

"In resolving to reverse the trend, Africa must reflect on pertinent questions such as to whom the continent belongs, who reaps the benefits in order to identify solutions for the continent to realize and harness its potential for development," Mr. Mayor said.

Inter-dependence, whereby Africa emerges in full partnership at global and continental level, he said, must be the cornerstone of the region�s development as opposed to dependence that has led to a vicious cycle of debt. Those who provide the financial assistance are the same ones that send in their engineers to construct roads and dams and Africa continues to pay for these experts, he noted. Africa must tap the continent�s existing talent, particularly the 30,000 abroad-based professionals in various fields, Mr. Mayor said.

The UNESCO Audience Africa meetings, chaired by Graca Machel of Mozambique, have endeavored to promote the idea of Africa shaping its own destiny. Mr. Mayor said that organization and the international community would be there to support such undertakings.

Already UNESCO has signed a $210 million donation with the government of Libya to enable it to send some 3,000 students to attend European universities and centers of research for intensive learning during an eight-year period.

"This will enable such students upon their return to Africa to apply the knowledge gained to the continent�s needs, in order to make feasible the notion of Africa shaping its destiny," Mr. Mayor said.

He noted that the recent extraordinary OAU summit in Libya, which he attended, demonstrated the African leaders� desire for the region to determine its future course.