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AAU MAJOR ACTIVITIES
AAU
ANNUAL REPORT
2007-2008
Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents Of African Universities, Tripoli, Libya,
21-25 October 2007
The Conference of Rectors, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of African universities, (COREVIP)
2007, was organiszed in collaboration with the 7th April University, Zawia, under the main theme,
'The African Brain Drain: Managing the Drain, Working with the Diaspora,' was held in Tripoli,
Libya, from 21 - 25 October 2007.
Members of staff of the University of Ghana and the AAU
AAU
ANNUAL REPORT
2007-2008
COREVIP 2007 brought together about 161 registered participants comprising AAU member
institutions, higher education institutional leaders, senior academics, researchers,
representatives of AAU funding partners and development agencies as well as international
media.
In his opening address, Professor Abdelhafeed Zalitine,the deputy Prime Minister of Libya
thanked the AAU for choosing Libya as the venue for the Conference. He said that Africa needed its
professionals particularly, in education, science and technology and health. “Every effort should,
therefore, be made to retain them, and higher education institutions have the responsibility to
find innovative ways to do this,” he said.
On his part, the President of The 7th April University Professor Shabaan Taher underscored the
relevance of the theme for the Conference and the importance of higher education in the
economies of Africa for the production of highly skilled human capital. He said that the impact of
globalisation required that Africa looks for innovative solutions to the increasing trend of the
migration of its highly skilled personnel.
The President of the AAU, Professor Njabulo Ndebele, expressed his deep appreciation to His
Execllency Moamar Khadafi, President of the Peoples' Libyan Arab Jamahriya for his warm
hospitality, as well as the President and staff of the 7th April University for hosting the Conference.
Participants at COREVIP
Professor Ndebele also thanked AAU's development partners for providing funds to organise the
Conference. He welcomed 29 new member institutions admitted to the Association since the
11th Conference held in Cape Town South Africa in 2005. Professor Ndebele announced that the
AAU would be commemorating 40 years of service to African higher education since its inception
in November 12th 1967 when it was founded in Rabat, Morocco. Referring to the theme of the
Conference, Professor Ndebele reflected that while there was a need to understand the 'push
and pull' factors affecting brain drain, it was more important to appreciate that Africans, no
matter where they are located have the potential to make contributions to the continents
development.
Key partners of the Association also presented delivered goodwill messages.
African University Day 2007
African University Day 2007 was held on November 12 2007 at several universities in Africa
under the theme, '40 Years of Championing African University Leadership: Prospects and
th
Challenges for the Near Future.' This celebration was special as it marked the 40 anniversary of
the AAU.
In Ghana, the Day was jointly organised by jointly the AAU Secretariat and Vice Chancellors,
Ghana and hosted by the University of Ghana, with Prof. C. Tagoe, the Vice Chancellor of the
University of Ghana chairing the event. Prof. E. Addo-Obeng, Vice Chancellor of the University
of Cape Coast who was the guest speaker is also an AAU Executive Board Member.
In his address, Prof Addo-Obeng indicated that the AAU continued to be the voice of higher
education in Africa, with the aim of improving the quality of education of higher education
institutions in Africa. He cited programmes such as SUMA and HIV/AIDS, among others as having
had a great impact on the management of higher education in Africa. Among the recent
initiatives, he cited the Research, Education Networking Unit (RENU) and said that with the
implementation of such programmes, the AAU is poised to lead higher education institutions in
Africa to achieve greater heights.
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Rhodes University, South Africa
The Secretary General was invited to the first African University Day Celebration at
Rhodes University, South Africa, where he presented a lecture on Challenges Facing
African Higher Education. The following day there was a colloquium on African
Initiatives, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which brought together participants
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