History

The Institute for African Development is an area program under the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Cornell University. Formerly known as the Cornell Initiative on African Development, the program was initiated in 1987 under the supervision of a former Cornell University Provost Robert Baker.

The Initiative was created in response to a growing concern of the critical nature of the long-term development problems in sub-Saharan Africa. Its primary goal was to facilitate and link Cornell's international development resources with development processes in Africa.

It was begun with the commitment to mobilize teaching, research and technical assistance capabilities so as to focus on critical problems of development in Africa, with special emphasis on food, hunger and nutrition. Consequently, its role was to stimulate campus wide discussion about Cornell's role in addressing African development.

The Initiative, later, changed its name to the Institute for African Development and in addition expanded its role quite extensively. In 1996, as it grew in size and scale, the Institute moved from West Sibley Hall to Uris Hall.

To date the Institute for African Development brings together representatives from all eleven schools and colleges of Cornell University. In addition, it has increased the fellow turnover over the years and has worked with cooperative programs with African governments, universities and research centers in Botswana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi, Liberia, and Nigeria among others. Furthermore, under the directorship of Professor Muna Ndulo, the Institute has continued to develop the activities within its program. These include the Fellowship Programs, Special Speaker Series, Distinguished Africanist Scholars Program, Occasional Paper Series, Visiting Scholar Program, Annual African Development Seminar Series and Conferences, and bi-monthly African Notes Newsletter.