The African Graduate Fellowship Program (AFGRAD)
1963 – 1990
Between 1963 and 1990, AAI administered The African Graduate Fellowship (AFGRAD) Program, which was a cooperative effort between AAI, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the participating African governments. As one of USAID’s and AAI's longest running participant training programs, AFGRAD provided training at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels at U.S. academic institutions for qualified African professionals working in key African institutions in priority development fields. AAI was responsible for the administration of recruitment, placement, monitoring and support of the AFGRAD participants from Africa.
While the AFGRAD program officially ended in 1990, AAI's successor program, the Advanced Training for Leadership and Skills (ATLAS) program, continued the AFGRAD legacy from 1990 to 2003. In total, the ATLAS/AFGRAD programs sponsored over 3,200 African professionals to earn master's and Ph.D. degrees at more than 200 U.S. universities. Approximately 24% of the AFGRAD scholarships went to female African professionals. Approximately 85-90% of all ATLAS and AFGRAD Fellows successfully completed their degree programs and returned to their home countries, creating a well-qualified cadre of alumni in Africa.
For a detailed analysis of AAI’s ATLAS and AFGRAD programs, please review USAID’s impact assessment report—Generations of Quiet Progress.
Total Number of ATLAS/AFGRAD Participants: 3,200 +