African training for leadership and advanced skills (ATLAS), phase I : contract AFR-0475-C-0068-00 [i.e. AFR-0475-C-00-0068-00] -- final report covering the period August 1990 to October 1995

Major Phase I accomplishments were as follows: (1) A total of 450 ATLAS awards were made for academic programs in the United States. (2) Over 30% of these awards were made to women. (3) USAID Missions made operating year budget (OYB) transfers of more than $35 million for ATLAS awards. (4) U.S. universities committed $6.8 million in tuition scholarships for the 450 ATLAS Phase I participants. (5) Forty awards (8.9%) were made to students placed at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). (6) ATLAS held four women"s conferences at HBCU campuses, which were attended by 78 participants. (7) Ten regional conferences and three national events were held in Africa for alumni of African Graduate Program (AFGRAD), ATLAS, and other USAID-funded programs. (8) ATLAS grants were made to 14 African professional organizations having significant AFGRAD/ATLAS membership. (9) ATLAS published six issues of ATLAS ALERT and IROKO and five editions of the Directory of Fellows; and (10) distinguished alumni awards were made to five former AFGRAD Fellows. A formative evaluation of ATLAS, Phase I, concluded that ATLAS: (1) had developed effective mechanisms to implement all of its activities; (2) achieved an outstanding academic success rate of 98%; (3) exceeded the 30% target for the participation of women; (4) provided practical training opportunities for over 30% of those who completed their masters degrees; and (5) increased Mission OYB transfer funding, reaching a 5-year high of nearly $9 million for FY 1995. Recommendations provided by the evaluation were to: develop more effective and intensive methods of acquainting Missions with the range of ATLAS services; work with Missions to develop action plans for maximizing resources and achieving Mission strategic objectives; and stress leadership in all ATLAS components including selection, enrichment, and enhancement activities. ATLAS is one of USAID"s primary vehicles for providing advanced skills training, supporting institutional capacity building, and promoting post-training professional development in Africa. In August 1995, USAID awarded AAI the contract to implement Phase II of ATLAS.