Appointment of Ms. Yenziwe Mbuyisa as Project Coordinator of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Climate Collaborative
October 5, 2026
Advancing Quality and Trust in African Higher Education: The Role of Continental Quality Assurance Standards
October 14, 2026
Accra, Ghana – 7 October 2026 – The Association of African Universities (AAU) invites higher education institutions across Africa and key stakeholders to join the 2026 Africa Universities’ Day celebrations, taking place on Thursday, 12 November 2026, alongside a week-long series of activities from Monday, 9 November to Friday, 13 November 2026.
This year’s celebration will be held under the theme “The Future-Ready African Universities: Anticipating Change, Transforming Education, Shaping Africa’s Future.” The theme calls attention to the need for African universities to anticipate change, embrace innovation and undertake the transformations required to remain relevant and responsive to Africa’s evolving development needs.
The celebration will convene Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Presidents of African universities, policymakers, government representatives, academic and administrative leaders, researchers and innovators, students and young academics, industry and private-sector leaders, technology companies, development partners and other key stakeholders from across the continent and beyond.
Across the five days, discussions will focus on key issues shaping the future of African higher education, including leadership and governance, Artificial Intelligence and digital transformation, teaching and learning, research and innovation, future skills and employability, and university-industry partnerships.
The programme will feature high-level dialogues, panels and roundtables, partner engagements and regional dialogues. Specifically, the 2026 Africa Universities’ Day celebration aims to:
- Define the characteristics of a Future-Ready African University and the institutional transformations required to achieve it.
- Examine how Artificial Intelligence, digitalisation and emerging technologies are reshaping higher education, including teaching, learning, research and university administration.
- Strengthen university-industry collaboration to advance innovation, employability, entrepreneurship and sustainable development.
- Mobilise universities, governments, industry, development partners and other stakeholders around a shared agenda for transforming African higher education.
“African universities must develop the capacity not only to respond to change, but to anticipate it and help shape it. This requires us to rethink how we teach, conduct research, innovate and engage with industry and society. Africa Universities’ Day 2026 provides an important platform to bring our institutions and partners together around the actions needed to build universities that are ready for Africa’s future.” – Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole, Secretary General, AAU.
The focus of this year’s Africa Universities’ Day also connects directly with the agenda for COREVIP 2027, where Future-Ready African Universities forms one of the conference’s strategic pillars. A special COREVIP 2027 session on 12 November will build on the week’s discussions and provide participants with further insight into the conference, its thematic areas and opportunities for institutional participation and engagement.
Higher education institutions, university leaders, policymakers, government representatives, researchers, students, industry and private-sector leaders, technology companies, development partners and other stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the 2026 Africa Universities’ Day celebration and contribute to the discussions on building future-ready African universities.
The Programme is as follows:
- Day 1, Monday, 9 November 2026 – Opening Ceremony and High-Level Leadership Dialogue (Online)
- Day 2, Tuesday, 10 November 2026 – High-Level Panel and Roundtable (Online)
- Day 3, Wednesday, 11 November 2026 – High-Level Partners Forum (Online)
- Day 4, Thursday, 12 November 2026 – Main Africa Universities’ Day Celebration & Special COREVIP 2027 Session (Hybrid: Online & Physical – Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra, Ghana)
- Day 5, Friday, 13 November 2026 – Regional Dialogue and Closing Ceremony (Online)
Register here: https://workshops.aau.org/au-day-2026
Association of African Universities (AAU)
Established in 1967 and headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the Association of African Universities (AAU) is the apex body and voice of higher education in Africa. With a membership of more than 450 higher education institutions, the Association promotes collaboration, quality higher education, research, innovation, and institutional development across the continent. The AAU also serves as a platform for dialogue, partnership-building, and collective action on issues shaping the future of higher education in Africa. Currently, the AAU serves as Cluster Lead for the Higher Education, Research and Innovation (HERI) cluster of the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2026–2035), coordinating continental efforts to strengthen higher education, research and innovation across Africa.
Media Enquiries
Dr. Felicia Nkrumah Kuagbedzi
Acting Coordinator – Communications and Knowledge Management, AAU
Email:fnkrumah@aau.org
Tel: +233 246 425 147
