July 28, 2015
The Africa-America Institute (AAI) has named Ashesi as one of three pioneer partner universities for its Future Leaders Legacy Fund. The Legacy Fund provides scholarships to bright but under-resourced African students to attend “top-performing African Universities and colleges.” Another goal of the fund is to improve the capacity of universities through academic exchanges, teacher training, and administrative management and leadership certification.
“Building a highly educated and skilled workforce is essential to meet local and global market demands and to give the continent a competitive edge in the global economy,” said the AAI, in announcing the initiative. “Yet, only 6% of young people in sub-Saharan Africa are enrolled in higher education institutions, compared to the global average of 26%, UNESCO estimates. […] The Legacy Fund aims to raise $2.5 million to enable 300 students to gain access to and receive an excellent university education.”
Three universities, Ashesi, United States International University and The University of South Africa (representing West Africa, East Africa and South Africa), are currently serving as the fund’s partners. AAI is actively seeking new partner institutions to expand the number of higher education and technical institutions participating in the Legacy Fund network.