AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERS FORGE PATHWAYS FOR CONTINENTAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE 21ST RUFORUM ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
RUFORUM 2025 AGM – Gaborone, Botswana: Dumelang! With this warm Setswana greeting, an assembly of continental educators, scholars, partners, governments and researchers were officially welcomed to the 21st RUFORUM Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Gaborone International Conference Centre (GICC). The event is hosted by the Government of Botswana under the theme ‘Positioning Africa’s Universities and the Higher Education Sector to effectively impact development processes on the continent’.
In its 21st edition, the RUFORUM AGM places deliberate emphasis on doing things differently, challenging long-standing approaches in order to accelerate progress and deepen partnerships across the continent. Throughout the programme, participants will witness not only the strength of current RUFORUM collaborations, but also the breadth of scalable, proven innovations emerging from member institutions. These innovations demonstrate the immense potential of Africa’s universities to generate multiplier effects that can meaningfully fast-track development processes at national, regional, and continental levels.
The overarching aim of the AGM is to contextualize and distill the key messages shared by speakers and stakeholders, ensuring that the convening does more than celebrate actions taken and listen to motivational speeches. It seeks to critically examine how progress is measured, how achievements can be refined, and how we can collectively strengthen our impact. Through thoughtful dialogue and strategic engagement, this AGM aspires to position Africa’s universities as central drivers of transformation, ensuring that the higher education sector continues to shape, inform, and accelerate development across the continent.
“Collaboration is Our Power” – Prof. Ketlhatlogile Mosepele, Vice Chancellor of the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN)
Prof. Mosepele, opened with a reflection steeped in African wisdom. Citing proverbs and continental commitments such as the Kampala Declaration and African Union Agenda 2063, he called for universities to leverage shared expertise to revolutionize agriculture.
He spotlighted a homegrown success story: BUAN’s safflower research project, a signature example of university–community partnership transforming local livelihoods. He credited RUFORUM and the Mastercard Foundation for creating spaces where such innovation can thrive.
His challenge to African university leaders was unequivocal: redesign curricula, amplify research for societal change, and champion inclusivity, especially for women and youth, who are the backbone of Africa’s future.
“Universities Must Become Engines of Africa’s Transformation” – Prof. Patrick Okori, Executive Secretary at RUFORUM
Prof. Okori delivered a stirring welcome, reminding the audience that despite its youth, resources, and agricultural wealth, Africa remains constrained by poverty. He urged universities to lead Africa’s leap toward Agenda 2063 by transforming the agri-food sector on which 60% of Africans depend.
“Science and innovation must be the pivot,” he stressed, emphasizing three pillars for advancement: Strategic partnerships, science for development and innovation, and capacity sharing for future-ready skills. He called this approach “building bridges for the future”, a collective pathway to continental growth.
“Our Strength Is in the Network” – Prof. Theresia Nkuo-Akenji , RUFORUM Board Chair
Representing a consortium of 175 universities, Prof. Nkuo-Akenji celebrated the power of interconnected institutions driving change. Graduates influencing policy, research reshaping communities, and continental collaboration advancing solutions, these, she said, are proof that RUFORUM’s model works.
Yet she cautioned that Africa’s greatest challenges such as climate change, unemployment, fragile food systems remain “a jigger in the foot of Africans,” demanding urgent collaborative action. Her message: Africa can solve Africa’s problems, but scaling proven innovations is critical.
“Botswana Reaffirms Its Commitment to Higher Education and Innovation” – Prof. Richard Tabulawa, Permanent Secretary at Botswana’s Ministry of Higher Education
Prof. Tabulawa underscored the nation’s investment in science-driven higher education and digital transformation. He noted strong alignment between Botswana’s national agenda and RUFORUM’s mission, especially in agriculture and TVET.
His appeal to local institutions was clear: seize this continental platform to deepen collaboration, drive research, and build impact-driven partnerships.
Botswana Declares the AGM Officially Open: A Call for Green Innovation
Delivering the official opening address on behalf of President Duma Boko, Hon. Prince Maele, Minister of Higher Education, spoke to a world undergoing rapid global realignment. Africa, he urged, must position itself strategically by deepening partnerships between governments, universities, the private sector, and development partners.
He invoked Nelson Mandela’s warning that declining education quality erodes nations faster than any bomb, underscoring the urgency for universities to move beyond traditional roles into innovation and enterprise creation.
As the AGM opened, the messages reinforced that Africa’s future depends on universities that innovate, collaborate, and transform communities from the ground up. From climate resilience to green economies, and from agricultural systems to youth empowerment, the Gaborone gathering serves as a launchpad for Africa’s next chapter of development, driven not by external narratives, but by the collective ingenuity of its own people.
“We do not inherit the earth from our forefathers; we hold it in trust for our children”— African proverb read by Mr. Neo Moroka, BUAN Council Chairman
