Africa and America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities

This book focuses on the history and prospects of the strategic alliances between African nations and America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Drawing on extensive archival and original research, this book fills critical gaps and provides a compelling, data-driven case for further collaborations. HBCUs have played a vital role in American history, nurturing change-makers from the US Civil Rights Era and the African Independence Movements, but today funding constraints and shifting student demographics are threatening their future. The African continent has the world’s largest youth population, and many nations are seeking greater partnership with the US. This book argues that expanded strategic alliances between HBCUs and African nations offer a unique opportunity for mutual benefits, such as capacity building, knowledge exchange, and the overall advancement of nations and institutions on both sides. Based on extensive original research, this book combines archival materials, documentary analysis, survey research, and interviews with senior-level HBCU leaders and African educational and civil society leaders to inform its recommendations. Offering a timely analysis of the conditions, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration between American HBCUs and African nations, this book will be an important resource for researchers across Education, African studies, and African American studies. It will be especially valuable for policymakers and higher education leaders, as well as for professionals in international development and philanthropy working at the intersection of education, equity, and global engagement.