Advanced Training For Leadership And Skills Project (ATLAS)
1990 – 2003
Between 1990 and 2003, AAI administered the Advanced Training for Leadership and Skills Project (ATLAS), a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which aimed to strengthen leadership and technical abilities and enhance the professional excellence and leadership capabilities of individuals serving in African public and private sector entities, such as universities, research centers and other key development institutions. ATLAS, like its predecessor African Graduate Fellowship Program (AFGRAD) which ran from 1963 to 1990, promoted cooperation among U.S. universities, USAID Missions and African countries to provide advanced academic and professional training for African students. The ATLAS/AFGRAD program sponsored over 3,200 African professionals to obtain Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees at over 200 U.S. universities. Approximately 85-90% of all ATLAS/AFGRAD Fellows successfully completed their degree programs and returned to their countries of origin, creating a well-qualified cadre of alumni in Africa.
AAI’s activities under the AFGRAD program included student selection, placement and academic counseling, and program financial management. AAI's New York office administered the program, with extensive assistance from its field representatives in Africa. In addition to academic trianing in the U.S., the ATLAS program provided an extensive professional enhancement program for alumni of AFGRAD, ATLAS, and other USAID-funded programs that included management training seminars, workshops, professional conferences, national and regional symposia in Africa, networking events, the annual publication of the Directory of Fellows.
To learn more about AAI’s ATLAS and AFGRAD programs, please download USAID’s impact assessment report—Generations of Quiet Progress.
Total number of ATLAS/AFGRAD participants trained: 3,200 +