Specialised semi-autonomous institutions for the training of civil servants have been set up in almost all independent countries of Africa. They are another symbol of independence, and the goals of independence could not be reached without the African civil servants they train. Because many of the needs of nation-building are the same, there are similarities between the Ecoles nationales d'administration (ENA's) in French-speaking countries and the Institutes of Public Administration (IPA's) in English-speaking countries; but the programmes and organisation of each language group reflect different colonial traditions, educational systems, and current policies regarding civil service development.