Presentation of the Association of African Universities (AAU)

Official website: AAU

Original document

Our History

The Association of African Universities (AAU), whose headquarters is in Accra, Ghana, was founded in Rabat, Morocco on November 12, 1967, following recommendations made at an earlier conference organized by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Antananarivo, Madagascar in September 1962 for the formation of such an apex organization.

The Antananarivo recommendations were taken up by a preparatory Committee of the heads of African institutions of higher education, which met in Khartoum in September 1963 and drafted the founding constitution of the Association. With an initial membership of 34, the Association now has over 360 members, cutting across the language and other divides.

The Association has provided a platform for research, reflection, consultation, debates, co-operation and collaboration on issues pertaining to higher education. It has provided a range of services to its members and served African higher education in a variety of ways. It has established and increased its role in the five sub-regions of Africa and is thus able, at reasonable notice, to assemble teams of experts in relevant fields from the sub-regions.

The Association possesses a unique capacity to convene higher education institutional leaders and policy-makers from all parts of the continent and on key issues related to African higher education and development, as demonstrated in the WTO/GATS workshop held in Ghana in April 2004. In addition, the Association provides leadership in the identification of emerging issues and support for debating them and facilitating appropriate follow-up action by its members, partners and other stakeholders.

Vision

To be the leading advocate for higher education in Africa, with the capacity to provide support for its member institutions in meeting national, continental and global needs.

Mission

To enhance the quality and relevance of higher education in Africa and strengthen its contribution to Africa’s development.

How AAU is funded

AAU is funded through:

• Membership subscription fees;
• Income from services provided and sales of publications;
• Subventions from the African Union and African governments;
• Grants from development partner agencies;
• Capital investment fund and possibly an endowment fund (under consideration).

Our Strategic Goals

• Promote and facilitate networking, collaboration and experience sharing in teaching, learning and research;
• Improve leadership, institutional management and the policy environment of African higher education;
• Empower AAU members to address developmental challenges and become an effective voice in national, continental and global bodies
• Facilitate mutually beneficial interaction between member institutions and the external academic and other communities;
• Provide effective representation of the African higher education community in regional and international affairs;
• Improve the governance and organizational framework of the Association;
• Raise efficiency and effectiveness of the Secretariat;
• Provide the Secretariat with a secure and adequate resource base for the pursuit of the Association’s goals

Our Strategy

The AAU’S first Strategic Plan, covering the period 2003-2010, was developed and approved at the COREVIP meeting held in Mauritius in 2003. The formulation of the second AAU 2011-2015 Strategic Plan followed a bottom-up and participatory process that provided an opportunity to assess the impact and consolidate the achievements of the first Strategic Plan. A review of 2003-2010 plan led to the identification of unfinished business and goals that guided the formulation of the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan. AAU’s third strategic plan for 2016-2020 has been approved by the AAU Governing Board.

Our Objectives

• Promote interchange, contact and cooperation among universities and other institutions of higher education in Africa;
• Collect, classify and disseminate information on higher education and research, particularly in Africa;
• Promote cooperation among African higher education institutions in curriculum development, post graduate training, research, quality assurance, recognition of qualifications, the determination of equivalence of degrees, and other matters of special policy or practical interest to African higher education;
• Encourage and empower members of the Association to address developmental challenges and become an effective voice in national, regional and global higher education discourse;
• Study and make known the educational and related needs of African universities and other institutions of higher education and, as far as practicable, co-ordinate the means whereby those needs may be met;
• Contribute to the improvement of leadership, institutional management and the policy environment of African higher education; and

Organise, encourage and support public fora for information dissemination and exchange and policy dialogue on issues of higher education.

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The Wathinotes are either original abstracts of publications selected by WATHI, modified original summaries or publication quotes selected for their relevance for the theme of the Debate. When publications and abstracts are only available either in French or in English, the translation is done by WATHI. All the Wathinotes link to the original and integral publications that are not hosted on the WATHI website. WATHI participates to the promotion of these documents that have been written by university professors and experts.