ASHA in Africa

Since 1959 ASHA has awarded $86 million in assistance to private institutions in Africa. 

ASHA's primary objective is to strengthen the capacity of institutions in the Africa to demonstrate American advances in educational and medical technology and practices in the areas of research, training and patient care. 

The impact of ASHA grants has increased the number and quality of institutions of higher learning and hospital centers in Africa.  The grants have also contributed to improvements in the socio-economic livelihoods of the communities served and increased mutual understanding between the people of the United States and countries in Africa.

Educational institutions in this region provide academic and vocational training at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels. The universities offer programs in:

• Liberal arts
• Business
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Agriculture
• Sciences

One of the first institutions to receive an ASHA grant in Africa was Cuttington University College in Liberia--the oldest private, co-educational, four-year degree granting institution in sub-Saharan Africa.

Many graduates and recipients of services provided by ASHA-assisted institutions in Africa are now key decision-makers in their respective fields. They include government ministers and parliamentarians, as well as professionals in education, law, medicine and business.

For more information on ASHA in Africa email Mary Herbert - mherbert@usaid.gov, Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR), American Schools & Hospitals Abroad (ASHA), Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance.