After decades of neglect, African universities have become the focus of intense interest by U.S. universities, foundations, and donor agencies convinced that without stronger higher education, the continent's development prospects will remain bleak. This attention is notably different from such efforts in the past in sub-Saharan Africa, which have often been limited in scope and, many say, reflected American, not African, priorities. American universities and other partners say they are determined to build long-term relationships that will allow African universities to guide their nations in this century, in much the same way Asian universities helped fuel phenomenal regional growth in the 1990s. The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges is leading one of the most ambitious efforts. Along with several other educational and humanitarian groups, its members are looking at ways to build collaborations of a decade or more between U.S. and African colleges. The partnerships, which could involve multiple institutions, would focus on critical fields such as agriculture, health care, and teacher training. They would also seek to strengthen the African collaborators in areas like institutional management, fund-raising capacity, and faculty and curriculum development. The U.S. Agency for International Development has announced that it will provide $1-million for 20 grants of $50,000 apiece to begin planning partnerships. And more than 130 senior international officers from U.S. research universities and other institutions are meeting this week in New Hampshire to talk about how best to build long-term collaborations. African university leaders and other higher-education experts say they are eager for such partnerships to develop, provided that they are true collaborations. However, these collaborations are faced with several challenges, such as financing, infrastructure and limited resources. Despite the challenges, many educators say it is worth pressing ahead.