UGA to Partner with Andrew Young Foundation to Build Higher Education Capacity in Côte d'Ivoire

November 16, 2020

The University of Georgia, the Andrew Young Foundation and the International University of Grand-Bassam have launched an ambitious partnership to build higher-education capacity in West Africa. 

Funded through a $250,000 University Partnership Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of State, the project will provide technical assistance to the International University of Grand-Bassam (IUGB), one of the first English-language universities in Côte d'Ivoire. Provost Jack Hu from UGA and IUGB President Saliou Touré will speak alongside Ambassadors Andrew Young and Richard Keith Bell at a kickoff event launching the partnership on Monday, November 16th.

The State Department’s University Partnership Initiative 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. The UPI provides direct funding for bilateral capacity building activities involving U.S. and African universities.

Through the new partnership, UGA faculty and staff will provide training and assistance to IUGB in the areas of curricular design, strategic planning, and the U.S. regional accreditation process. Brian Watkins (Office of Global Engagement), Robert Branch and John Mativo (College of Education), and Erik Ness (Institute of Higher Education) will serve as the UGA co-investigators for the project.

Noel Fallows, Associate Provost of the UGA Office of Global Engagement, had this to say, “This is a truly interdisciplinary initiative that draws upon the expertise of major stakeholders within and outside of UGA and encapsulates the mission of the Office of Global Engagement.”

About the Office of Global Engagement
The Office of Global Engagement supports the University of Georgia's academic, research and outreach missions and strategic directions through the promotion of global learning experiences for students, the sponsorship and support of international students, scholars, faculty and staff, and the development of international research and instructional partnerships and collaborations. For more information, visit http://globalengagement.uga.edu.