Honoris United Universities Increases Impact to Transform 1 Million Lives Across Africa

  • Marking the halfway point to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Honoris celebrates its contribution to 12 of the 17 SDGs in its Annual Impact Report 2022
  • The number of employer partners doubled to over 800 across the globe, with an increased student employability rate of 83% within 6 months of graduating
  • Access to quality education reached 72,000 students, +18% since 2021, equipped with technical and foundational skills to thrive in the 21st-century world of work
  • Female students in STEM subjects rose to 12,300 students, an increase of 11.4% from the previous year
  • Honoris improved its impact score by 16 points, from 175 in 2021 to 191 in 2022, achieving further recognition in two categories, Quality Education, STEM Education, and welcoming an additional category, Clean Energy

CASABLANCA / DURBAN / TUNIS / ABUJA, 26 September 2023 – As the United Nations concluded its critical SDG Summit as part of the 2023 General Assembly in New York City, Honoris United Universities, the first and largest pan-African private higher education network, today celebrates the release of its second Annual Impact Report 2022, marking significant growth and success in its Education for Impact mission across Africa.

Supported by global emerging market impact investor Actis, Honoris once again demonstrates transformational progress in its Impact Score, increasing by 16 points from 175 in 2021 to 191 in 2022. The score evaluates the positive social and environmental impact of its mission, specifically across the areas of Quality Education; Employment Access; Gender Equality; STEM Education, and Clean Energy, and allows comparisons across sectors and geographies.

Formed in 2017, the Honoris network constitutes 15 institutions spread across 10 countries in North, West, Central, and Southern Africa, now welcoming 72,000 students. In response to the rapidly changing world of work amidst the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Honoris adopts an innovative approach to reshaping the higher education landscape across Africa, harnessing an open innovation strategy to create academic models focused on student success. Its Annual Impact Report 2022 outlines its continued contribution to 12 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, as part of its commitment to students, their families, and communities, and the achievement of a significant milestone of transforming over 1 million lives in Africa.

To better reflect and examine the extent to which Honoris has transformed the lives of learners throughout its 10 countries of operation in Africa, the report reexamines the Honoris core impact pillars: Quality of Learning, Employability, Innovation, Communities, Sustainability, and Network. 2022 also marked a pivotal year for Honoris, as the network was welcomed into the New Champions cohort of the World Economic Forum, and later selected as the winner of the New Champions Award for Excellence in Adaptive Capacity, proving its ability to respond to extraordinary external change to adjust and thrive in a new normal.

Honoris Group CEO, Dr. Jonathan Louw, commented: “Whilst last year’s Inaugural Impact Report served as the foundation of our reporting method introducing the impact score, our six core impact pillars, and our alignment to the UN SDGs, this report serves as a comprehensive update of our progress and commitment to making a positive difference in the world. We continue to widen access to quality education for Africa’s future leaders by disrupting traditional pedagogies with innovative, relevant academic models, preparing African talent with the skills, experience, mindset, and aspirations to achieve their full potential and transform their communities. Our achievement of transforming over 1 million lives is a testament to our collective efforts and the outcomes of our student centricity, initiatives, partnerships, and the tireless dedication of the People of Honoris.”

Julia Devos, Head of the New Champions Community at the World Economic Forum, added, “In 2022, Honoris was selected to be part of our World Economic Forum New Champions community, an exclusive network of mid-size purpose-driven organizations. In addition, among numerous other member contenders, and due to their exceptional advancement in innovation and business transformation, Honoris stood out as the deserving recipient of the 2022 New Champions’ award in the adaptive capacity domain. We are truly delighted to have them as an integral part of our community, where they consistently contribute with their thought leadership in the field of education and their inspiring vision for Africa’s future leaders. These leaders of tomorrow envision themselves to be conscientious, committed to elevating their nation and positively impacting the world and Honoris is helping them to achieve this vision.”

Highlights featured in the report include:

  • Employability: Graduate employability remains integral to the Honoris mission, this year announcing a three-point increase to 83% of students gaining access to the job market within 6 months of graduating, supported by double the number of employers in its partnership ecosystem to over 800.
  • Innovation: Institutions piloted new academic models that reached 33,000 students, including more than 2,000 health students across Tunisia who began a new partnership using world-renowned adaptive learning.
  • Communities: A leader in STEM education, Honoris increased the number of female students in STEM by 11.4% and further increased the total enrolments to over 30,000, a sizeable 48% increase. The network continues to support organizations that empower women and close the gender gap, such as UN Women, Orange Maroc, and Women In Africa, which welcomed the first cohort of 7,000 women entrepreneurs in 2022 in collaboration with the Coca-Cola Foundation.

Watch the Honoris Impact Report video