Collaboration in Development despite a Relationship of Unequals between U.S. Foundations and Universities in Africa

• In Event: Philanthropy in Education: Cross-Cutting Issues, Social Finance and Impact Investors

Proposal

This paper analyses the decades-long relationship between leading U.S. foundations and universities in Africa, with a focus on the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa. The study highlights the complex dynamics of philanthropic collaborations in this specific sector. U.S. foundations have positioned themselves strategically in the ecology of international developers and have succeeded in advocating the importance of higher education for Africa’s economic development. However, this study shows that donor-to-donor collaborations are not easily implemented and that donor-to-recipient collaborations are not set on equal footing, particularly in the context of higher education in Africa, and that this inequity has a bearing on projects’ design, implementation, outcomes and sustainability.

Authors

• Fabrice Jaumont, Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme

• Teboho Moja, New York University