Press Release

Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative to Launch Competitive Grants Program

USAID funds new grant program to boost African universities

May 27, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC (April 30, 2008) -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will collaborate with NASULGC to build African university capacity for instruction and problem solving through the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative.

The grant from USAID was announced during the two-day Higher Education Summit for Global Development held April 29 and 30 at the U.S. State Department. The conference drew 200 university presidents, government officials, and corporate and foundation leaders to Washington from around the globe.

"The need to strengthen institutions that cultivate human and research capacity is glaring in Africa. U.S. and African higher education institutions, working together, have the ability to increase the quality and access to education, and help solve local problems," said Peter McPherson, president of NASULGC.

USAID will provide $1 million to fund 20 partnership planning grants of $50,000 to plan long-term collaborations between African and U.S. institutions focused on building capacity for instruction and problem solving in the areas of agriculture, heath care, science and technology, primary and secondary education, business and other disciplines. The funds will go to the American Council on Education (ACE) with NASULGC and Higher Education for Development (HED) providing leadership for implementation of the grant. The entire $1 million will be used for partnership grants because NASULGC and others will bear the administrative costs.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to NASULGC to build the grantmaking framework for the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Collaboration Initiative. New funding would be used for university partnerships to build agriculture education and problem solving capacity in African universities.

The Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative is led by NASULGC with the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Higher Education for Development (HED), and the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) as key partners. More than a dozen other higher education organizations, African embassies and other organizations are also participating.

In consultation with African university leaders, partners and stakeholders, the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative has identified six priority fields of study upon which to focus capacity development efforts: agriculture, environment and natural resources; engineering; science and technology; health; education and teacher training; and business, management, and economics. Additional funding and organizational partners are expected to participate.

Seven capacity building priorities have been identified within these academic fields in discussion with African universities: faculty development; curriculum and teaching; institutional leadership and management, marketing, advocacy and fundraising; research, technology and problem solving; financial diversification and resource mobilization; improvement of teaching and research facilities and equipment; and development of linkages with private, public and NGO institutions globally, regionally and locally.

The Challenge in Africa

Demand for higher education in Africa is strong and rapidly increasing. From 1999 to 2004, the number of students enrolled at the secondary level has more than doubled in a number of Sub-Saharan African countries—resulting in extraordinarily rapid increments in the number of students completing secondary education and applying for higher education. At the same time, economic growth in many African countries has contributed to the growing demand for post-secondary education. In sub-Saharan Africa student enrollment in higher education has increased from 660,000 in 1985 to over 3.4 million (over four fold!) in 2005.

At the same time, African higher education institutions face a number of challenges in trying to meet the demands of an ever growing student population, including: critical faculty shortages; mismatches between programs of study and labor market requirements; inadequate learning and research infrastructures resulting from inadequate funding; poor capacity in research and innovation in high priority areas such as agriculture and natural resources, health sciences, engineering and technology; and institutional governance challenges.

About the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Collaboration Initiative

In July of 2007, NASULGC, the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa and FARA, in partnership with HED and ADEC, formed an initiative enhance and empower higher education institutions in Africa and the U.S. to contribute more effectively to African development and transformation and to increase the competency of U.S. higher education institutions in global affairs related to Africa.

Other initiative partners include: ACE, the Africa-America Institute (AAI), the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (USDA CSREES), the World Agricultural Forum, and a number of African embassies.

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

Founded in 1887, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC, A Public University Association), is an association of public research universities, land-grant institutions, and many state public university systems. Its 218 members enroll more than 3.6 million students, award approximately a half-million degrees annually, and have an estimated 20 million alumni. As the nation’s oldest higher education association, NASULGC is dedicated to excellence in learning, discovery and engagement. For more information, visit www.nasulgc.org.