In recognition of its research efforts and commitment to attaining a world-class status, the Kwara State University has been selected by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program to host an African Diaspora scholar from the United States to work on a collaborative project on research and curriculum development. KWASU and Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, are the only state-owned universities selected in Nigeria for the project.

Others are Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Federal University of Technology, Akure; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; University of Ibadan; University of Ilorin; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; and University of Port Harcourt, while Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji stands out as the only privately-owned institution selected in the country.

Aside the nine universities in Nigeria, the programme was also extended to five other countries in Africa. They include, Ghana: Ashesi University College and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; Kenya: The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Kenya Methodist University, Kisii University, University of Nairobi, and Rongo University College. Others are South Africa: University of Cape Town, University of Johannesburg, University of Venda, and University of the Witwatersrand; Tanzania: The State University of Zanzibar, and Uganda: Kyambogo University, and Makerere University.

The Provost, College of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences, KWASU, Professor Sakah Mahmud, will lead the project, together with Professor Aribidesi Usman from Arizona State University. According to a statement made available to KWASU UPDATE by the Director, Centre for Innovation and International Studies, Mr. Willys Santos, Professor Usman will be working between September and December 2014, with staff of the College to implement curriculum for a Bachelor's degree in History and Heritage Studies.

The statement added that Professor Usman would be engaged in this through teaching of courses, identifying and developing new courses, advising students, and assisting in recruiting suitable candidates for teaching positions. The visiting scholar, the statement added, would also engage in oral historical and archaeological research work in and around Ilorin during the fellowship period. The Kwara State University project is one of 31 projects that will pair African Diaspora scholars with higher education institutions in Africa to collaborate on curriculum co-development, research, graduate teaching, training and mentoring activities, the statement stated. It added that Professor Usman is one of 33 African Diaspora scholars who have been awarded Fellowship to travel to Africa to conduct the projects, which cover a wide range of fields in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The winning projects in this first round of awards were submitted by 24 institutions in the six selected African countries. The programme facilitates engagement between scholars born in Africa who are now based in the United States or Canada and scholars in Africa on mutually beneficial academic activities. The programme is managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with Quinnipiac University, which chairs the Advisory Council, and is funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York with the aim of contributing to the development of African higher education. Fellowship funding to scholars includes a daily stipend, visa costs, limited health insurance coverage, international travel to and from the airport in Canada or United States while the host institution is expected to fund housing, meals and local transportation to and from the airport in the host country.