Nigeria Higher Education Foundation | Promoting Excellence in Higher Education

Our History

Our story began in 2004, when a group of US based Nigerian professionals who were concerned about the future of Nigeria accepted the challenge of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to carry on its work of supporting higher education in Nigeria. We took on this challenge because we know that Nigerian institutions are essential in sustaining a growing economy, a just and vibrant social structure, and a stable society.  Since then, we’ve made steady progress toward fulfilling our mission of promoting excellence in higher education and in achieving our vision of assisting key universities in Nigeria to build their capacity and become self-sustaining by raising public awareness and support for them.

Some of our key milestones from 2004-2009 include:

• Assisted with the creation and improvement of Development Offices for all Partner Universities.
• Organized and facilitated development and fundraising training programs in the US for the Chief Development/Advancement Officers.  NHEF is grateful to RPI, Cornell Medical, LIU, NYU, Columbia, SWB, NYAS and the Foundation Center for helping to facilitate these valuable and successful training programs.
• Assisted Partner Universities with identifying and applying for funding grant opportunities with the USAID, World Bank and US Foundations. 
• Assisted with raising funds through alumni associations in the US.
• The University of Ibadan attained its Fanton Challenge goal of $250,000 with the support of NHEF and its US-based alumni association.
• Hosted a Symposium: “Ivory Towers and Beyond NHEF -' The role of Partnerships in African Sustainable Development: Case Study Nigeria” at Columbia University.  The Symposium highlighted collaboration and partnership opportunities across various disciplines by prominent experts and researchers in academia, non-governmental organizations and corporations.
• Launched the NHEF-SIMS (Skills Inventory Management System) database.  SIMS is a centralized pool of Nigerians and others in the Diaspora with expertise in various academic disciplines and specialties which our partner universities can readily access and locate appropriate candidates for their faculty needs.
• Introduced NHEF and our Partner Universities to a wider audience of friends of Nigerians in the Diaspora and to the philanthropic community by hosting our Inaugural Fundraising Dinner: “Creating Strength from within…Supporting Nigerian Higher Education” at the Tavern on the Green in New York City.  Key leaders in Business, Education, Cultural and US Congress were honored for their contributions to Nigerian Higher Education.
• Identified and helped our Partner Universities with building strategic US-based institutional partnerships:
• The University of Nigeria Nsukka, signed an MOU with the New York Academy of Sciences to become the 33rd member of NYAS Science Alliance Program.
• The Millennium Village program, which has targeted the eradication of blindness in Northern Nigeria, had been in search of an academic partner and found an institutional home in the Ahmadu Bello University. 
• Discussions regarding the new Global Masters in Development Practice encouraged the University of Ibadan and the University of Nigeria Nsukka to submit proposals to host a Master’s degree program for the first cycle.  Ibadan was selected as one of the 30 participating universities.
• An interesting research program on the protein fortification of “Gari” a staple but protein deficient food in Nigeria, received interest and support from the Earth Institute’s global sustainability project.