The joint effort recognizes the importance of higher education in reducing poverty and stimulating economic and social development in Africa. Below are some photo highlights of the meeting at which the announcement was made, along with quotes from the presidents, along with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the president of the Association of African Universities, who also attended the event.
Higher education is central to development, human progress and freedom.
And the university is the logical extension of basic education for all. While the challenges facing African countries are daunting, Africans determined to address them are increasingly focused on the crucial task of strengthening their universities. They recognize that their societies need a new generation of well-educated leaders trained in many fields, and that to develop them, their higher education institutions must expand and diversify. We believe that the graduates of these universities can contribvte enormously to helping their countries move forward and that this is a particularly promising moment in the history of Africa to support those efforts. This process of change in African higher education is being aided by broadened recognition on the part of governments of the multi-faceted contributions that universities can make in national development and poverty alleviation.