Accra, Ghana · 10 November 2025
The Association of African Universities (AAU) and the European University Association (EUA) issued a joint statement on 10 November 2025 calling on African and European leaders to strengthen cooperation in higher education and research and to include it in all major areas of the Africa-EU partnership. The statement, released ahead of the seventh European Union-African Union Summit on 24-25 November 2025 in Luanda, Angola, argued that exchange and cooperation in higher education and research must be a pillar of the strategic partnership between the two continents.
The two associations — representing approximately 400 African universities and over 900 European higher education institutions across 48 countries respectively — urged governments and policymakers to recognise the transversal importance of university cooperation, enable interregional exchange, and focus on values-based partnerships to address global challenges including climate change, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and geopolitical instability.
Three Core Recommendations
The joint statement put forward three principal recommendations to African and European leaders:
1. Recognise the transversal importance of university cooperation and continue to invest in it. The associations called for continued programming and funding under the Global Gateway, strengthening of the Africa Initiatives under Horizon Europe, Erasmus+ capacity-building measures, and the Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme in the EU's 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework. They highlighted the Study and Research in Africa Initiative, launched in 2025 under the Youth Mobility Flagship, as a mechanism to increase opportunities for African and European students, researchers, and academic staff to build careers on the African continent.
2. Enable interregional exchange and cooperation to develop higher education and research systems. The statement recommended that initiatives on quality assurance, recognition, academic career assessment, and Open Science be part of a long-term strategy. It cited the Harmonisation, Accreditation and Quality Assurance in African Higher Education (HAQAA) initiative as a notable example of system-level capacity building, and called for the Youth Mobility for Africa Flagship to be continued as a dynamic platform for major stakeholders.
3. Focus on values-based partnerships. The associations emphasised that the EU-Africa Partnership must be grounded in democracy, freedom of speech, citizenship, peace, sustainability, fairness, and inclusion. They underscored that respect for institutional autonomy, academic freedom, equity, diversity, and the rights of staff and students are prerequisites for further progress.
A Decade of Progress
The statement noted that over the past decade, both the African Union and the European Union have placed strong emphasis on higher education and research as drivers for political, economic, and social development. At the previous AU-EU Summit in 2022, heads of state and government made clear commitments towards strengthening higher education and research as central drivers of the partnership.
Since the 2022 summit, several achievements have formed a solid basis for enhanced cooperation. The Team Europe Initiatives, including the Opportunity-driven skills and vocational education and training in Africa (TEI OP-VET), and the launch of the Africa-Europe Youth Academy have expanded opportunities for African and European students and staff to move, study, and cooperate. The Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme has promoted new approaches to inter-university collaboration, with an enhanced role for African higher education institutions in co-designing and leading projects.
Quality Assurance and Recognition
Region-to-regional higher education reform collaboration has resulted in better mutual understanding and use of recognition and quality assurance instruments. The work of HAQAA III and the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF II) has contributed to making Africa a key dialogue partner for the Global Dimension of the Bologna Process. These initiatives have helped build trust and understanding, paved the way for mutual learning, and addressed obstacles that prevent mobility and cooperation.
The Broader Context
The AAU and EUA argued that Africa-Europe higher education and research cooperation contributes to regional integration. In a polarised world, the future of both continents will depend on their ability to leverage their rich diversity for scientific, educational, societal, and technological development. An integrated higher education space in Africa is linked to the achievement of an integrated and harmonised labour market, which would benefit economic cooperation between the two regions. It is also linked to greater knowledge circulation within the African continent and with Europe, thereby addressing skills shortages, combatting long-term brain drain, and mitigating migration challenges.
The joint statement arrives at a moment when both continents are recalibrating their strategic priorities. For African universities, the call reflects a growing determination to move from peripheral participation in global research networks to co-leadership in setting agendas and producing knowledge. For European institutions, it signals recognition that meaningful partnership requires investment in African higher education capacity as a shared interest, not merely a development obligation.
Sources:
- Association of African Universities, "Strengthening higher education and research cooperation must be a pillar of the Africa-EU Partnership," 10 November 2025
- European University Association (eua.eu)
- European Union, International Partnerships, Youth Mobility for Africa
- AAU-EUA Joint Statement, November 2025
FIRAT Editorial Board
Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
The collective editorial and research translation board of FIRAT, synthesising peer-reviewed evidence, policy briefs, and division milestones across our seven foundational research pillars.
