[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2792 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2792

 To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance to 
expand, improve, support, and promote higher education in the countries 
             of sub-Saharan Africa, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2011

 Mr. Payne (for himself, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Bass of California, Mr. 
Carnahan, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Rush, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Lewis of 
 Georgia, Mr. Towns, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. Fattah) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance to 
expand, improve, support, and promote higher education in the countries 
             of sub-Saharan Africa, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``African Higher Education Advancement 
and Development Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The demand for higher education in Africa has been 
        increasing at very high rates and is rapidly overtaking the 
        capacity of current infrastructure and staffing capability.
            (2) Africa's challenges in higher education are substantial 
        and have important social, economic, and stability dimensions.
            (3) Despite increasing enrollments, sub-Saharan Africa's 
        gross tertiary education enrollment ratio in 2007, the most 
        recent year for which comparable data is available, was just 
        under 6 percent as compared to 13 percent in India, 11 percent 
        in South Asia generally, and 22 percent in China, and 66 
        percent in high-income countries. In many African countries the 
        ratio hovers between 2 and 3 percent.
            (4) According to a 2008 World Bank report, university staff 
        position vacancy rates often run between 25 and 50 percent and 
        are notably common in engineering, applied sciences, and 
        business administration, which are disciplines commonly linked 
        to innovation and economic growth. Staff development, nurturing 
        and retention are therefore important elements of higher 
        education programming.
            (5) In 2005, only 28 percent of African university 
        graduates completed their degrees in science and technology 
        fields, including agriculture, engineering, health sciences, 
        and general sciences.
            (6) African higher education institutions have the 
        potential to address many critical development challenges in 
        collaboration with regional and international counterparts, 
        such as the United Nations, the International Agricultural 
        Research Centers, and bilateral and regional assistance 
        agencies, and other United States based foundations.
            (7) Higher education has expanded to provide more 
        opportunities for advanced education to graduates of the 
        secondary school systems and it has sought new ways to achieve 
        university collaboration across national and regional 
        boundaries.
            (8) Africa has made important strides as public 
        universities have increased from roughly 100 to 500 from 1990 
        to 2010 and private tertiary institutions have increased from 
        around 24 to an estimated several thousand during this same 
        period.
            (9) Historically, sub-Saharan Africa was marked by several 
        centers of excellence in higher education. Linked to former 
        European sponsors, institutions such as Makerere University in 
        Uganda, Kenyatta University in Kenya, Cheik Anta Diop 
        University in Senegal, and the University of Ibadan in Nigeria 
        graduated scholars and professionals that were highly prized 
        around the globe and that served the interests of their 
        respective nations well.
            (10) These universities serve as ``centers of excellence'' 
        that also have major positive impacts on other universities in 
        their respective regions, and are currently making substantial 
        progress in regaining their national and international 
        prominence.
            (11) Increasing rates of higher education in developing 
        countries is a critical component in efforts to achieve long-
        term economic growth and stability and poverty reduction.
            (12) Studies indicate that relatively small increases in 
        tertiary education can exponentially increase national incomes 
        and gross domestic product output within the span of a few 
        years, that individuals with higher education are more likely 
        to engage in entrepreneurial activity, and that more highly 
        educated entrepreneurs create larger numbers of jobs than those 
        with less education.
            (13) Research has found a positive and statistically 
        significant correlation between higher education enrollment 
        rates and good governance indicators, including the absence of 
        corruption, higher standards and rates of adherence to the rule 
        of law, fewer incidents of ethnic tension, increased 
        bureaucratic quality, a lower risk of repudiation of contracts 
        by governments, and a lower risk of financial malfeasance.
            (14) In most African countries, sharply increased rates of 
        access to higher education, advanced technical training, and 
        specialized skills development are necessary if 
        transformational socio-economic development success--notably in 
        efforts to alleviate poverty, expand economic growth, combat 
        disease, improve governance, and to increase respect for the 
        rule of law and human rights norms--is to be achieved.
            (15) Exchange programs which bring Africans to developed 
        countries for advanced training, while essential for improving 
        higher education in Africa, will not by themselves reach enough 
        students and scholars to bring about fundamental institutional 
        capacity improvements and the attainment of world-class 
        standards of excellence across African higher education 
        systems.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) support for primary, secondary, and tertiary education 
        is vitally important in achieving transformational state and 
        socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa, and that 
        assistance for such ends should be increased;
            (2) it is cost-effective and in the self-interest of the 
        United States and other development partners to respond to the 
        increasing need for qualified teachers and demands for greater 
        access to higher education created by expanded access to 
        primary and secondary education in sub-Saharan Africa, a long-
        standing United States policy objective, by providing 
        commensurate assistance to sub-Saharan African colleges and 
        universities;
            (3) effective and sustained partnerships between United 
        States and sub-Saharan Africa colleges and universities are an 
        important means through which increased access to quality 
        tertiary education can be achieved;
            (4) members of the African diaspora have a crucial role to 
        play in improving the capacity of sub-Saharan African colleges 
        and universities;
            (5) the international development community must help build 
        indigenous basic and applied advanced research and academic 
        capacities in sub-Saharan Africa in order to expand and enhance 
        the ability of sub-Saharan Africans to achieve economic growth, 
        improve social welfare, foster political stability, and to 
        address critical challenges, such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, 
        climate change, conflict prevention and mitigation, and poor 
        governance; and
            (6) the United States must commit to providing long-term 
        assistance to build the capacity of sub-Saharan African systems 
        of higher education and increase the number of annual higher 
        education student and professional graduations, in particular--
                    (A) in social, humanities, natural, biological, 
                agricultural, life, computer, and health sciences, 
                technology development, business, engineering, 
                mathematics, economics, and education; and
                    (B) by targeting such support toward efforts to 
                improve and expand sub-Saharan African higher education 
                institutions'--
                            (i) administrative and management 
                        capabilities, including accounting and 
                        reporting transparency and accountability;
                            (ii) program and budget planning, 
                        development and execution capacities;
                            (iii) access to advanced technology and 
                        improved infrastructure;
                            (iv) curriculum development capabilities;
                            (v) advanced basic and applied research 
                        capabilities; and
                            (vi) instructional training and quality of 
                        staff and faculty at the undergraduate, 
                        graduate, and post-graduate levels and within 
                        professional training programs.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to provide long-term 
assistance to expand, improve, support, and promote higher education in 
sub-Saharan Africa by building the capacity of sub-Saharan African 
colleges and universities, through partnerships with colleges and 
universities in the United States, in order to expand teaching, 
research, and innovation opportunities for sub-Saharan African and 
United States students and staff.

SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE HIGHER EDUCATION IN SUB-
              SAHARAN AFRICA.

    Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 105 the 
following new section:

``SEC. 105A. ASSISTANCE TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE HIGHER EDUCATION IN SUB-
              SAHARAN AFRICA.

    ``(a) Authorization.--The President, acting through the Director 
for Higher Education in sub-Saharan Africa (designated pursuant to 
subsection (c)), is authorized to provide long-term assistance to 
expand, improve, support, and promote higher education in sub-Saharan 
Africa.
    ``(b) Activities Supported.--Assistance provided under subsection 
(a) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be used to--
            ``(1) build the capacity of sub-Saharan African colleges 
        and universities, including through the development and use of 
        internships and other tools, in the areas of--
                    ``(A) professional and academic training, faculty 
                development, and technical expertise, with particular 
                emphasis on mentoring and retention of young and new 
                faculty;
                    ``(B) development and strengthening of educational 
                administrative capacity;
                    ``(C) undergraduate, graduate, and graduate 
                curricula development;
                    ``(D) improving infrastructure of academic and 
                institutional facilities;
                    ``(E) technical capacities and expertise, 
                especially in the areas of basic and applied research 
                and institutional development, including strategies for 
                cost-effective procurement of advanced scientific 
                research equipment and maintenance strategies for such 
                equipment;
                    ``(F) vocational training, including professional 
                development, behavioral courses, information technology 
                courses, job placement, and financial aid; and
                    ``(G) development and use of internships and other 
                tools;
            ``(2) establish, expand, and promote linkages and 
        partnerships between sub-Saharan African colleges and 
        universities and United States colleges and universities, with 
        special attention to the inclusion of historically Black 
        colleges and universities in the United States, including--
                    ``(A) student exchange programs between sub-Saharan 
                African colleges and universities and United States 
                colleges and universities;
                    ``(B) internship programs between sub-Saharan 
                African colleges and universities and United States 
                colleges and universities, including community 
                engagement activities;
                    ``(C) interactive and collaborative instructional 
                programs, employing Internet-based and other networked 
                digital telecommunications technologies, between sub-
                Saharan African colleges and universities and United 
                States colleges and universities; and
                    ``(D) collaborative and reciprocal degree awarding 
                programs based in sub-Saharan African partner 
                institutions, supported by United States faculty 
                working with sub-Saharan African colleagues to help 
                design curricula and serving as visiting lecturers for 
                periods of at least a semester; and
            ``(3) assist with efforts to recruit and retain women 
        students, faculty, and administrators at sub-Saharan African 
        colleges and universities.
    ``(c) Director for Higher Education Development in Sub-Saharan 
Africa.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, the Administrator shall 
        designate a Director for Higher Education in sub-Saharan 
        Africa, who shall report directly to the Administrator, and who 
        shall carry out the responsibilities described in paragraph 
        (2).
            ``(2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities referred to 
        in paragraph (1) include--
                    ``(A) ongoing consultations with and the provision 
                of technical advice to sub-Saharan African governments, 
                particularly ministries of education, regional 
                organizations, and public tertiary and related 
                educational institutions, and education and educators' 
                organizations with respect to carrying out the 
                activities described in subsection (b);
                    ``(B) coordination and administration of long-term 
                assistance authorized under subsection (a) in support 
                of the activities described in subsection (b); and
                    ``(C) coordinating with other bureaus within the 
                Agency, with other relevant United States Government 
                agencies, with the United States and sub-Saharan 
                African private sectors, with the higher education 
                community and relevant research organizations in the 
                United States and sub-Saharan African countries, and 
                with other bilateral and multilateral development 
                partners to maximize the gains and impact of activities 
                carried out under subsection (b)(1).
    ``(d) Sub-Saharan African Higher Education Advisory Board.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--There is hereby established within 
        the Agency a sub-Saharan African Higher Education Advisory 
        Board.
            ``(2) Membership.--
                    ``(A) Number and appointment.--The Board shall be 
                composed of members appointed by the Administrator in 
                consultation with the Speaker and the minority leader 
                of the House of Representatives and the majority and 
                minority leaders of the Senate.
                    ``(B) Qualifications.--The Board shall include 
                seven members drawn from individuals with private 
                sector experience, three of whom shall have 
                demonstrable knowledge of sub-Saharan Africa and the 
                field of higher education or higher education in sub-
                Saharan Africa, three of whom shall currently be 
                affiliated with or have career-length associations with 
                one or more sub-Saharan African higher education 
                institutions drawn from a list submitted jointly by the 
                Association of African Universities (AAU), Southern 
                African Regional Universities Association (SARUA), and 
                Inter-University Council for Eastern Africa (IUCEA), 
                and one of whom shall be a president of a historically 
                Black college or university in the United States.
            ``(3) Duties.--The Board shall--
                    ``(A) advise and assist the Director in carrying 
                out the responsibilities described in this section;
                    ``(B) not less than twice a year, meet with senior 
                officials of the Agency in order to fulfill the duty 
                described in subparagraph (A); and
                    ``(C) once a year, submit to the Director and 
                Administrator a report, which shall be made publicly 
                available, which evaluates the implementation of this 
                section for the preceding year, including the extent to 
                which--
                            ``(i) the requirement of subsection (b)(2), 
                        relating to participation of historically Black 
                        colleges and universities in the United States, 
                        was met;
                            ``(ii) the requirement of subsection (b)(3) 
                        was met; and
                            ``(iii) outlines a plan of specific 
                        interventions to support the recruitment and 
                        retention of young and new professors, 
                        scholars, and researchers at sub-Saharan 
                        African colleges and universities that 
                        identifies barriers to such ends and proposes 
                        programmatic interventions to overcome such 
                        barriers.
    ``(e) Public-Private Partnerships.--The Director and the Board 
shall seek, to the extent practicable, to use any funding appropriated 
for the purpose of carrying out the duties, goals, and functions 
described in this section to leverage equal or greater sources of 
private sector funding for such purposes, and shall undertake and 
prioritize efforts to identify such sources of private sector funding.
    ``(f) Reports to Congress.--
            ``(1) Initial report.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of the enactment of this section, the President shall 
        transmit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
        Senate a report that contains--
                    ``(A) benchmarks for measuring the long-term impact 
                of activities carried out under this section; and
                    ``(B) a proposal for enhancing opportunities for 
                the African diaspora to engage in activities to improve 
                the capacity, on either an on-going or short-term 
                basis, of sub-Saharan colleges and universities.
            ``(2) Annual report.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of transmission of the initial report under paragraph (1) 
        and annually thereafter, the President shall transmit to the 
        congressional committees specified in paragraph (1) a report 
        that contains a description of the activities carried out under 
        this section for the preceding fiscal year and the progress 
        made toward achieving the benchmarks outlined in the initial 
        report, and any program adjustments undertaken to improve 
        efforts to achieve such benchmarks.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `Administrator' means the Administrator of 
        the Agency;
            ``(2) the term `Agency' means the United States Agency for 
        International Development;
            ``(3) the term `Board' means the sub-Saharan African Higher 
        Education Advisory Board established pursuant to subsection 
        (d);
            ``(4) the term `Director' means the Director of Assistance 
        for Higher Education in sub-Saharan Africa designated pursuant 
        to subsection (c); and
            ``(5) the term `higher education' means post-secondary 
        undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate academic training.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated to the President such sums as 
may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016.''.
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