Africa Initiative

Dr. Asabe W. Poloma is an international higher education scholar and leader whose research and teaching center on African higher education, decolonial and indigenous knowledge production, and global academic knowledge networks. Her scholarship explores the colonial legacies that have shaped knowledge systems and institutional development in Africa, and frameworks for transnational collaboration between African and U.S. universities. Her publications include analyses of transnational higher education development in Africa, global exchanges between HBCUs and African universities, regional development in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Africa’s role in international security during the Cold War and the War on Terror. 

As Associate Provost for Global Engagement at Brown University, Dr. Poloma leads initiatives that bridge research, teaching, and partnership development to connect local academic communities with global networks of learning and inquiry. Her work emphasizes the importance of locally grounded engagement in shaping global education—ensuring that collaboration across borders reflects shared values, knowledge equity, and community impact. In 2024, she led a project with the U.S. Embassy in Lomé, Togo, the University of Lomé, and the University of Kara on institutional capacity-building and global partnerships. Through her teaching, mentorship, and research leadership, Dr. Poloma cultivates spaces where students and scholars engage critically with Africa’s role in reimagining the future of higher education and knowledge production worldwide.