Honoris United Universities Convenes Pan-African Network for Annual Academic Summit

September 2 2022 – Honoris United Universities, the first and largest network of private higher education institutions in Africa, last week concluded its second Annual Academic Summit, bringing together academic faculty and leadership from across its 15 institutions.

Hosted over two days, the 2022 Edition of the Summit took place in Tunisia, the first Honoris market, and focused on the most pressing topics in higher education today including leveraging new technologies for student centricity; ensuring quality in Higher Education; success and employability for 21st-century graduates; and increasing the value of African research.

Following the inaugural event in Morocco in 2019, Honoris continued its mission through cross-border collaboration via digital and hybrid models during the ongoing changes in the pandemic environment. Academic leaders agreed that an education from an Honoris institution is one that focuses on student outcomes, prepares the graduate for 21st-century employment, and creates meaningful impact in our communities across the continent.

The quality of teaching determines the outcome and quality of education that students receive and 21st-century skills development requires 21st-century teaching and learning approaches. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has made it imperative that education systems adapt. In response, the World Economic Forum identified eight critical characteristics in learning content and experiences that will define high-quality learning in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: (1) Global citizenship skills, (2) Innovation and creativity skills, (3) Technology skills, (4) Interpersonal skills, (5) Personalized and self-paced learning, (6) Accessible and inclusive learning, (7) Problem-based and collaborative learning, and (8) Lifelong and student-driven learning.

In his keynote speech, Honoris United Universities Group CEO, Dr. Jonathan Louw, commented, “The organization of this event is a symbol of our strength as one pan-African network, with collaborative intelligence underpinning our core values. Whilst discussing the most important topics in higher education in Africa today, we share inspiration and ideas for collective responses to both challenges and opportunities. Our mission of Education for Impact is brought to life through The People of Honoris’ passion and commitment, addressing our greatest challenges to create a long-lasting positive impact on our societies.”

With a focus on increasing shared knowledge and mobility, these forums of cross-pollination are an integral part of the Honoris mission. The network recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in a unique metaverse event in the virtual Honoris Africa Campus bringing together 3,500 staff across the continent in the month-long celebration including masterclasses, events, interactive games, and most importantly recreating the serendipity of real interactions for the people of Honoris across borders.