By YANGE IKYAA
EducationUSA, an academic support programme of the United States government, is yielding vital results in transforming African communities for the better.
EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories. This has become a strong force for positive change in Africa.
For instance,Tolu Alabi, an alumna of the EducationUSA Opportunity Fund, who attended Grinnell College in Iowa, leads Next in Line Africa, an NGO she founded, that uses basketball as a transformative experience for African youths. Her program helps them to learn discipline, persistence, and teamwork.
Last week, she hosted her second annual basketball camp for 50 public school students from Abuja. Next year, with support from the US Mission in Nigeria, Tolu will have the opportunity to expand her project in the northern part of the country and positively impact young people in Kaduna and Jos.
With thousands of academic programs, world-class institutions, and unmatched flexibility, the United States offers a wealth of higher education opportunities that can hardly be found elsewhere in the world.
The network promotes US higher education to students around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States.
EducationUSA also provides services to the US higher education community to help institutional leaders meet their recruitment and campus internationalization goals.