Archbishop Ladigbolu’s Daughter, Prof Dayo Abah, Receives Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship

Professor Adedayo Ladigbolu Abah, one of the daughters of respected Yoruba leader and reverred Methodist cleric, Archbishop Emeritus Ayo Ladigbolu, has been named a beneficiary of the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Programme (CADFP).

The fellowship will see Abah, a professor of journalism and mass communications and head of department of Journalism and mass communications at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, US, embark on research work in Tanzania starting from June 2023.

According to a report published on Washington and Lee University website, Abah will work with the faculty at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to help establish a master’s degree program in communications.

It adds that she will serve as a “disinterested” party, reviewing the courses and requirements, and lending guidance as necessary, while also collaborating on research projects with her Tanzanian colleagues.

“I am excited about the opportunity to learn about communication in Eastern Africa, work with graduate students, and engage and interact with communication scholars from Tanzania,” said Abah, while reacting to the development.

“Together, we can contribute to building capacity at African universities and contribute to development goals,” she added.

Abah has been a member of the Washington and Lee faculty since 2002. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and literary studies at the University of Ado-Ekiti, a master’s degree in media studies from Texas Christian University, and a doctorate in journalism and mass communications from the University of South Carolina.

The CADFP is a scholar fellowship programme for educational projects at African higher education institutions designed to facilitate research collaboration, graduate student teaching and mentoring, and curriculum co-development. The competitive program is managed and administered by the Institute of International Education and funded by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

A total of 566 African Diaspora Fellowships have been awarded since the CADFP was established in 2013.