The partner institutions are set to collaborate on various topics related to curriculum co-development, as well as research and graduate student teaching and mentoring.

“This has been valuable in broadening academic networks at host and home institutions”

The programme, which was launched in February of last year, is in its third round after announcing the 17 fellows this month.

Set up by the Institute of International Education in partnership with Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, the programme’s funding is being provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Claudia Frittelli, programme officer for international programmes at the Carnegie Corporation of New York, explained that the programme pairs African diaspora professors in North America with African participants who share the same objectives.

“The fellowship also encourages ongoing collaboration between African universities and the fellows’ home institutions once the fellowship has ended,” she said.

“This has been valuable in broadening academic networks at host and home institutions.”

The first 33 partners were announced in June of last year, followed by another 60 in November.

Previous fellowships included a professor from the University of Texas at Tyler who visited a university at Uganda to present seminars, advise graduate students and review curricula in sport and physical education.

The 17 host universities this round are based in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, including the University of the Western Cape, and the University of Ghana.

The diaspora representatives come from a range of universities in the US and Canada, such as North Carolina State University and the University of Wyoming.

Each fellowship is expected to last between 14 and 90 days and will be completed by the end of August.

The programme team at IIE have also confirmed that, along with Quinnipiac University, it has applied for two more years of funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, in the hope of extending this programme to more African universities and diaspora scholars.