In a compelling keynote address at the 2024 Presidents Forum of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), Professor Ernest Aryeetey, Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), advocated for a transformative business model to enhance African research collaboration. The forum, themed "Addressing Global Research Challenges in an African Context," attracted prominent figures including ARUA Vice-Chancellors and WUN Presidents and Vice Presidents.

Prof. Aryeetey emphasized the necessity of partnerships rooted in shared visions and long-term objectives, innovative capacity-building approaches, and fair funding models. He highlighted the success of ARUA’s Centres of Excellence (CoE) model, which also underpins its collaboration with The Guild of European Research Intensive Universities.

This collaboration has given rise to the Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoRE) initiative, uniting over 160 researchers from more than 60 institutions across Africa and Europe. This initiative aligns with the AU-EU innovation agenda and exemplifies the potential of collaborative efforts to tackle global research challenges from an African perspective.

Prof. Aryeetey also underscored the urgent need to increase the number of PhD graduates in Africa. He announced ARUA’s exciting partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, aiming to produce 1,000 PhDs annually, in line with the African Union’s goal of 100,000 PhDs over the next decade. This initiative aspires to produce 7,000 PhDs over ten years, significantly enhancing the continent’s research capabilities and fostering high-quality, interdisciplinary research.

The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) is a leading global higher education and research network, comprising 24 universities across six continents. WUN’s mission is to enhance the impact and prominence of its member universities through strengthened partnerships and collaborative research initiatives.

Prof. Aryeetey’s call for a new research and innovation ecosystem for Africa through effective partnership highlights the critical importance of collaboration and shared vision in addressing the unique challenges faced by the continent.

 

Article by Jed Mwangi

Photo/WUN

https://arua.org.za/arua-sg-advocates-for-a-new-research-ecosystem-in-africa-at-wun-forum/