International education organization dedicated to advancing Africa's development
The Africa-America Institute (AAI) is an international education organization dedicated to advancing the continent's development through higher education and skills training, convening activities, and promoting greater engagement between Africa and the United States.[1]
As African nations gained independence, AAI offered higher education scholarship programs in the United States to support African scholars in gaining a higher education and skills that could be applied in post-colonial Africa. Its programming expanded to provide academic and professional skills training opportunities for Africans in both the U.S. and Africa in the 1990s. AAI's programs evolved in the early- 2000s to focus on increased U.S.-Africa engagement on issues impacting the African continent with policymakers and business leaders from the U.S. and Africa.[5]
In 2013 the organization celebrated its 60th anniversary in the New York Hilton. The event included a discussion by Hailemariam Desalegn, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, the President of Namibia and Foreign Affairs Ministers of Ghana, Hanna Tetteh and Tanzania as regards Africa's past, present and future.[6] The organization highlighted how more than 23,000 individuals from 54 African countries had been supported by the organization.[6]
The AAI Future Leaders Legacy Fund provides scholarships for African students to earn bachelor's degrees and vocational and technical training certifications at high performing African institutions. Partner institutions include Ashesi University, Ghana; United States International University (USIU-Africa), Kenya; and UNISA—The University of South Africa.[8]
AAI Speaker Series
The AAI Speaker Series and Conversations on Africa (COA) series in Washington, D.C. offer a platform for thought leaders on U.S.-Africa policy.[9]
EADB Math, Science, Technology and Engineering University Scholarship Program
Past programs include: The African Graduate Fellowship Program (AFGRAD), Advanced Training for Leadership and Skills Project (ATLAS), African Scholarship Program of American Universities (ASPAU), International Visitors Program (IVP) and International Fellowship Program (IFP).[11]
Annual Awards Gala
Held annually during the week of the United Nations General Assembly, AAI's Annual Awards Gala brings together African Heads of State and diplomats, business and philanthropic leaders to celebrate African achievement.[12]
State of Education on Africa Conference
AAI's annual State of Education on Africa (SOE) conference is a space for learning and dialogue between students, parents, teachers, leaders, and innovators interested in transforming K-12 education by infusing it with scholarly and unbiased knowledge about Africa and the worldwide Diaspora through effective teaching that supports student academic achievement. The SOE conference provides a platform to discuss and put forth solution on education at levels in Africa.
Previous SOEs were held in New York City in 2014, and in Lagos, Nigeria in 2015.[13] 2021's SOE, “Teaching Africa in the World,” explored recovered histories that center the contributions of Africa and its worldwide Diaspora in the making of the modern world. The conference has featured renowned academics such as Dr. Michael A. Gomez, Dr. Pearl T. Robinson, and Dr. Lyra Monteiro.[14]
^Berman, Edward H. (1983). The ideology of philanthropy: the influence of the Carnegie, Ford, and Rockefeller foundations on American foreign policy. Albany: State University of New York Press. pp. 131–132. ISBN978-0-87395-726-7.
^"Leadership". The Africa-America Institute. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
^Cotter, William R. "1976 Annual Report"(PDF). Africa-America Institute. Archived(PDF) from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
