IUGB-UGA Development Focused Learning and U.S.-Style Higher Education in West Africa
The U.S. State Department’s University Partnerships Initiative is designed to strengthen collaboration between U.S. and African universities while harnessing the enormous opportunity posed by Africa’s projected doubling in population by 2050. It is intended to increase the capability of universities in Africa to offer high-quality, workforce-responsive education while building long-term academic relationships with key institutions in the United States.
Sponsor
U.S. Department of State
$250,000Principal investigator
Brian Watkins
Director of International InitiativesCo-principal investigators
Rob Branch
Professor, Workforce Education and Instructional TechnologyJohn M. Mativo
Associate Professor, Workforce Education and Instructional TechnologyErik Ness
Associate Professor, Institute of Higher EducationActive since
September 2020
Abstract
On November 16, 2020, the University of Georgia and the International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB) launched a partnership to build higher-education capacity in Côte d’Ivoire. The project, funded through a $250,0000 University Partnerships Initiative (UPI) grant from the U.S. Department of State through U.S. Embassy Abidjan, will provide training and assistance in strategic planning and curricular design to the International University of Grand Bassam (IUGB), a top English-language university in Côte d’Ivoire. Funded activities will strengthen IUGB’s efforts to build institutional capacity to pursue U.S. regional accreditation.
The U.S. State Department’s UPI, launched in 2019, is designed to strengthen collaboration between U.S. and African universities while harnessing the enormous opportunity posed by Africa’s projected doubling in population by 2050. It is intended to increase the capability of universities in Africa to offer high-quality, workforce-responsive education while building long-term academic relationships with key institutions in the United States.