African universities have unanimously agreed to strengthen Pan-African collaboration by establishing shared infrastructures, enabling cross-border mobility, and fostering inter-university research networks.
Rising from its 16th General Conference themed “Shaping the Future of Higher Education for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa,” at the Rabat, Morocco campus of the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), which was attended by the Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, ABUAD, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, in her capacity as the Representative of on AAU Governing Board, over the weekend, the Association also resolved to advance inclusive Higher Education by achieving a minimum of 15% enrolment of women, refugees, and persons with disabilities by 2030.
In its avowed determination to tackle the continent’s most pressing higher education challenges and opportunities such as demographic boom, research sovereignty, AI adoption, quality assurance and the inclusion of marginalized youth in higher education, the AAU put its feet down to reclaim Knowledge Sovereignty by scaling Diamond Open Access, DOA, and African Platform for Open Scholarship, APOS, to at least 20 institutions by 2026.
Other high points of the Association’s 12 plenary sessions and Stakeholders Dialogues include:
Embedding Digital and Artificial Intelligence, AI Literacy by making AI, creative and critical thinking core skills for students and staff in member universities,
Enhancing Quality and Research Systems by adopting the Good Review Management, GRMP, Standard, harmonizing QA systems via Harmonization of Quality Assurance and Accreditation, HAQAA, and professionalizing research management.
Empowering Youth Innovation by expanding incubators, venture funding, and experiential learning across Higher Education Institutions, HEIs, and
Institutionalizing and scaling African Centres of Excellence, ACE, by fully integrating ACE into national systems, sustaining funding, and leveraging them as regional mentors.
The AAU which opened its Conference with a resounding call for African universities to serve as “living laboratories” that will not only educate but also drive innovation, generate evidence for policy, and address Africa’s social and economic challenges, is also planning, in collaboration with the African Union, UNESCO, Mastercard Foundation, and development partners, to establish a monitoring task force to track adoption of these resolutions, support HEIs to align with CESA and TVET strategies and host a Pan-African Open Science & AI Summit in 2026 to showcase advancements.
While Prof. Hicham El Habti, President (Vice Chancellor) of UM6P, reminded participants that “African universities must transcend traditional roles, becoming engines of knowledge and innovation even as financial support contracts globally, collaboration and resilience are no longer optional—they are our lifelines.”, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, AAU Secretary-General, emphasized that “With the right partnerships, investments, and focus on skills, Africa’s universities can transform African youth dividend (projected at 2.5 billion by 2050) into the cornerstone of our socio-economic future.”
On his part, UNESCO’s Dr. Borhene Chakroun impressed it on African universities to be independent, international, interdisciplinary, and innovative as the foundation for Africa’s sustainable growth.
To reclaim African Scholarship, Prof. Reggie Raju of University of Cape Town counselled that “Without reclaiming our scholarship, Africa risks perpetual dependency on systems that exclude our voices and diminish our global impact.”
To achieve the goal of reclaiming African scholarship, AAU endorsed Diamond Open Access (DOA) and the African Platform for Open Scholarship (APOS) as game-changers for reducing prohibitive publishing fees, elevating African research visibility, and supporting indigenous languages.
On Youth Empowerment and Inclusion, Dr. Yeukai Mlambo stressed that “Innovation cannot happen without inclusion”, adding that “by intentionally engaging women, refugees, and persons with disabilities, we unlock Africa’s true potential.”
Oyewole concluded by saying that “This Conference is a call to action: to invest boldly, collaborate intentionally, and transform Africa’s universities into engines of innovation, equity, and resilience. The future of our youth, and our continent, depends on it.”
Signed:
Tunde Olofintila,
Director, Corporate Affairs