Edition 2 - 16th AAU General Conference Special Newsletter

The 16th AAU General Conference recorded an important discussion on the Bogotá Dialogue—an initiative poised to redefine global higher education partnerships. Chaired by Prof. Abiodun Humphrey Adebayo (outgoing AAU Board Member and former Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Nigeria), the session unveiled the third Interregional Dialogue on Education and Development, scheduled for November 3–7, 2025, in Bogotá, Colombia.

At a historic turning point for African higher education, Professor Kenneth Kamwi Matengu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Namibia, has been elected as the 14th President of the Association of African Universities (AAU). This development took place during the AAU’s 16th General Conference held in Rabat, Morocco, from July 21 to 25, 2025.

The accomplished scholar, innovator, and transformational leader secured 67.1% of the electoral vote in a two-man race, taking over from Prof. Bakri Osman Saeed, of the University of Khartoum who served the Association as its governing board president from 2021 – 2025. In his acceptance speech, Prof. Matengu passionately recounted his humble upbringing as a son of rural subsistence farmers, using his story as a testament to Africa’s promises and potentials. “Africa is a land of opportunity and equity,” he declared. “Your past should not limit your purpose.”

The opening of the 16th General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU) on July 21 in Rabat, Morocco, highlighted a landmark initiative—the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations—a roadmap for research collaborations rooted in African agency and equity, which promises to shift the axis of global research power.

Launched in 2023 at the Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors, and Presidents of African Higher Education Institutions in Windhoek, Namibia, the Charter is not just another policy document but a timely response to Africa’s collective demand for a new research order—one that firmly proscribes extractive, top-down research approaches and prescribes equitable, Africa-centered collaborations.

Charter Foundations

From 21st–25th July 2025, the city of Rabat, Morocco, became a hub of vision, dialogue, and collaboration as the Association of African Universities (AAU) convened its 16th Quadrennial General Conference. Held under the inspiring theme “Shaping the Future of Higher Education for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa,” the conference brought together a diverse community of educators, researchers, development partners, and policymakers committed to strengthening higher education across the continent.

The China-Africa higher education collaboration is entering a new era—one defined not by unilateral support or knowledge transfer, but by co-creation, mutual leadership, and strategic alignment.

During the AAU's 16th General Conference in Rabat, the Annual Meeting of the China-Africa Consortium of Universities Exchange Mechanism convened key stakeholders to reflect on achievements, challenges, and future priorities rooted in equity, innovation, and sustainability.

The 16th AAU General Conference in Rabat, Morocco – a gathering of nearly 500 higher education leaders, policymakers, and scholars from across Africa and beyond – recorded a defining moment where participants discussed the priority of building sustainable data ecosystems for evidence-based governance. The session, chaired by Prof. Wisdom Tettey, President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University, Canada, laid bare both the challenges and opportunities in harnessing data as a strategic asset for Africa’s academic future.

Prof. Idris A. Rai, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), delivered a compelling case for institutionalizing robust data management systems across African universities, with an emphasis on the east African region.

The 16th Quadrennial General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU), held in Rabat, Morocco, from July 21st to 25th, 2025, featured a compelling discussion focused on “Research Growth in Africa – The South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC) Experience.” Chaired by Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, the session brought together distinguished academic leaders and industry stakeholders to discuss effective practical strategies to strengthen research capacity across African institutions.

This high-level session underscored the vital role of collaborative partnerships, sustainable funding, and infrastructure in advancing Africa’s research visibility and impact.

At the Association of African Universities’ 16th General Conference in Rabat, Morocco, the African Union Commission, represented by Chigozie Emmanuel Okonkwo, unveiled two landmark frameworks—the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2026–2035 and the African Continental TVET Strategy 2025–2034. The session highlighted how these strategies aim to redefine Africa’s educational and skills landscape, tackling systemic challenges and fostering human capital development essential for the continent’s sustainable growth.

Plenary Session III of AAU’s 16th Quadrennial General Conference in Rabat, Morocco, spotlighted education as the cornerstone of Africa’s sustainable future. With the African Union Commission’s Chigozie Emmanuel Okonkwo delivering a compelling presentation, participants were introduced to the ambitious Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 2026–2035 and the African Continental Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Strategy 2025–2034. Together, these robust frameworks chart a transformative path to empower Africa’s human capital for prosperity, equity, and innovation.

A key highlight of the 16th General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU) in Rabat, Morocco, was a governance session—aptly dubbed AAU Business Session—which featured changes in the Association’s leadership, membership, and strategic direction.

Opening the session, AAU Secretary-General Prof. Olusola Oyewole presented the 2021–2025 Secretary-General’s Report and unveiled the Plan of Action for 2025–2029. He emphasized AAU’s continued resilience despite global uncertainties, highlighting achievements such as expanded institutional visibility, improved staff morale, and transformative partnerships with global bodies including the World Bank and the European Union.

Once every four years, the Association of African Universities (AAU), convenes Africa’s leading minds in higher education in a general conference to chart the course of the continent’s academic future. The 16th edition (July 21 to 25, 2025) featured nearly 500 policymakers, scholars, institutional leaders, and students in the Moroccan city of Rabat.

In a pivotal moment of the week-long event, dubbed Shaping the Future of Higher Education for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa, stakeholders explored nine sub-themes in parallel sessions on July 23, with a synthesis presented two days later on July 25. These deliberations revealed both the urgent challenges and immense possibilities facing African universities as they strive to become engines of inclusive development for the continent’s transformation.

Policy experts and institutional leaders called for a paradigm shift—from externally imposed governance models to homegrown frameworks aligned with Africa’s social and political realities. Discussions emphasized decentralization, regional integration, and equity as pillars for systemic transformation. With poor funding and digital infrastructure continuing to constrain progress, participants called for pan-African collaboration to bridge these gaps.

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