Non-Governmental Organisation and the Promotion of American Education in Nigeria, 1941-1953 (Report‪)‬

Introduction The end of World War II signalled the beginning of a period of massive expansion of higher education in the United States. One important consequence of this was that Nigerians who had received their higher education in America agitated for the application of what they perceived to be the greater adaptability of American educational model to the needs of Nigeria. Against this background, this paper discusses the activities of some nongovernmental organisation in propagating the American educational model, particularly in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Furthermore, these organisations came into existence towards the end and immediately after World War II. These organisations had a common aim of encouraging interactions between Nigerian youths who were hungry for higher education and American schools, colleges and universities. Many Nigerians and indeed Africans who were resident in the United States of America during and immediately after World War II took upon themselves the burden of performing the duties of "unaccredited cultural ambassadors." (1) Many of these Africans expounded their views on politics, economy, culture and education among other issues, "to receptive audiences in churches, voluntary organisation, newspapers, and journals of opinion, usually but not always run by African-Americans committed to cultural nationalism." (2)