Howard University Joins Atlanta University Center Institutions to Announce EDTECH Africa Initiative

On Tuesday, May 21, Howard University President Ben Vinson III, Ph.D., joined leaders of the Atlanta University Consortium (AUC) to announce the creation of EDTECH Africa, an initiative serving as emerging technological bridge between historically black colleges and universities. (HBCU) and African scholars aimed to cultivate educational exchanges in the ever-changing landscape of emerging technologies.

The announcement, made at Spelman College, was made in collaboration with the governments of Kenya, the United States, Microsoft and Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth.

“As technology brings our global community closer together, it is crucial that members of the African diaspora have the resources to accelerate transformation,” Vinson said. “I want to thank my fellow presidents at Spelman College, Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University for ensuring that our institutions can enter into a partnership with the Government of Kenya that will invest in a shared future through Higher Education. This collaboration aims to strengthen Kenya’s higher education system and prepare a new generation of Kenyan leaders to drive the development of a resilient and prosperous nation.

“Additionally, I want to acknowledge the support of Mastercard, Microsoft and our own government, creating a relationship that builds a technological bridge between HBCUs and African academics. This is truly how we propel the diaspora forward with maximum force.

In addition to the creation of EDTECH Africa, Microsoft will also invest $500,000 to support HBCU and Kenyan students engaged in research at the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI) in Nairobi, Kenya. Microsoft’s commitment comes on top of its recent $350,000 contribution to the AUC Data Science Initiative aimed at establishing a network of data science faculty at HBCUs, expanding their research capacity and professional development.

Microsoft also contributed nearly $4 million as part of its existing direct support of more than $11 million to nearly 20 HBCUs. Complementing these efforts, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will invest $850,000 to facilitate EDTECH Africa between HBCUs and Kenyan universities.

The announcement was made during a special Kenyan state visit to Atlanta, planned to address investments for a shared future through higher education. The program included remarks from Spelman College President Helen Gayle, Ed.D., USAID Advisor Clinton White, Kenyan President William Ruto and Vinson, who spoke about the importance of partnerships among HBCUs, African University and STEM.

There was also a panel discussion on STEM with April Arnzen, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Micron Technology; Talitha Washington, director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium Data Science Initiative; Peter M. Muchiri, vice-chancellor of Dedan Kimathi University in Kenya; James More, deputy director of the STEM Education Branch; Raheem Beyah, dean of engineering and provost of the Georgia Institute of Technology and George French, president of Clark Atlanta University.