American Foundations Work to Improve Nigerian Universities | Voice of America - English
A recent survey in Nigeria revealed problems in institutions of higher learning. These include too few classrooms, too few student hostels and insufficient staffing and funding.
But the MacArthur Foundation is helping out. MacArthur and other foundations --Ford, Rockefeller, Mellon and Hewlett -- have formed a partnership to providegrants to some Nigerian universities. Kole Shettima is the country director ofthe MacArthur Foundation in Nigeria. In 2000, his organization and the fourother partners decided to provide financial support to several universities.They include Bayero University in Kano, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria,University of Port-Harcourt, the University of Ibadan and University ofJos. Shettima says "We came to them and said, 'OK, can you tell us how you want tosee your university in the next five years?' So they all developed theirstrategic plans. They came up with a vision of what they want theseuniversities to be. Based on the strategic plans that these universitiespresented, we started giving grants to these universities." Shettima says over the last 8 years his organization has given BayeroUniversity about 8 million dollars for staffing, upgrading computertechnology and establishing a faculty of agriculture. The 5 foundations also supported the University of Ibadan by providing 6million dollars to modernize its library, provide computer laboratories andestablish an office to raise funds. Shettima adds, "We are supporting [the universities] to build theiralumni base, to build a list of their own friends and financial supporters sothat they will be able to get resources from them." The University of Port Harcourt has a center that willhelp raise funds from various sources, including donors from industry. Helping out the center is a newly established advisory body -- the Friends ofthe University -- which includes businessmen and other philanthropists. Already the University of Port Harcourt has raised over 5 million dollars incash and pledges. In addition, each new and returning student is asked to pledgeUS $820, bringing the university closer to its goal of financialindependence. The other universities receiving grants from McArthur andits partners will do the same. Educators say it's a way to ensure the health of Nigerian universities who haveinsufficient government funding. They say tapping into the resources ofprivate businesses and private donors is a strategy that's already proveditself in other parts of the world.