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The Association of African Universities (AAU) has been designated as the lead institution for the Higher Education, Research and Innovation (HERI) Cluster of the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2026–2035). This gesture marks a significant milestone in advancing Africa’s transformation through knowledge, innovation, and skills development.
CESA 2026 – 2035 serves as African Union’s strategic framework for driving education, research, and innovation across the continent, aligned with Agenda 2063 and Africa’s long-term development aspirations. Within this framework, higher education, research, and innovation are recognised as critical enablers of economic competitiveness, technological advancement, and social inclusion.
As lead institution, the AAU is providing strategic leadership, coordination, and technical guidance to support HERI’s effective implementation. In this role, the Association is working closely with AU member states, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), universities, research institutions, development partners, and the private sector to align efforts, strengthen collaboration, and mobilise resources across the continent.
The HERI Cluster functions as a collaborative platform to enhance policy coordination, support capacity development, and promote knowledge sharing, while ensuring that higher education systems across Africa are responsive to emerging global and continental challenges.
Key priorities include strengthening policy harmonisation and quality assurance frameworks, enhancing research capacity and collaboration, promoting innovation ecosystems and university -industry linkages, and advancing digital transformation across higher education systems.
It also prioritises equity and inclusion in access and participation and the establishment of robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress and ensure accountability.
These efforts are expected to contribute to broader continental goals, including industrialisation, job creation, climate resilience, and the development of knowledge-based economies across Africa.
AAU’s designation reflects its continental reach, technical expertise, and longstanding role in higher education coordination, quality assurance, research promotion, and policy advocacy. With a network of over 450 member universities across Africa, the Association is well positioned to drive collaboration and support implementation at both regional and national levels.
In its leadership role, the AAU will guide the development and implementation of continental initiatives, support policy alignment, facilitate knowledge generation, and strengthen partnerships to advance higher education and research across the continent.
The HERI Cluster presents a unique opportunity to reposition higher education, research, and innovation as central drivers of Africa’s development. By strengthening coordination and fostering collaboration across stakeholders, the initiative is expected to enhance the quality, relevance, and global competitiveness of African higher education systems. It is worth noting, that the AAU previously served in a similar role – as the coordinator for the implementation of The Higher Education Cluster of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016-2025).
