For two days (30th and 31st March 2017), heads of African universities converged at Harvard University’s Center for African Studies in Cambridge USA to explore ways on revitalising the African higher education by scrutinising strategies to maximize the impact of the Diaspora.

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ihron Rensburg, with a delegate from UJ management, is among the group that is contributing to the conference. The conference, with the theme “The Conference on the Role of the Diaspora in the Revitalization of African Higher Education”, seeks to reimagine and develop models of higher education for the 21st Century African realities.

Major regional and national stakeholders in African higher education, foundations, development agencies and multinational corporations with vested interests for the launch of the 10/10 programme are also attending the conference.

Prof Rensburg debated the challenges of African Higher Education as part of the first panel discussion. Other panels are examining technology and digital platforms in learning; regional and international partnerships; and the funding of African higher education.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Conference Hashtag #AfricanHigherEd