AAU Welcomes New Governing Board Members

Accra, Ghana (9^th August 2021) – The Association of African Universities, today inaugurated a 17-member Governing Board during its extra-ordinary General Conference which was hosted virtually.

As per its constitution, the Association of African Universities (AAU) concluded a process of nominations and election for the new Governing Board Members, following the expiration of the tenure of the old Board. The outgoing President of the AAU Governing Board, Professor Orlando Antonio Quilambo (also the Rector of Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique) presented the new board members to AAU’s stakeholders and called for support to enable them deliver on their core mandate.

The new Board, which assumes office immediately, and to be led by Professor Saeed Bakri Osman, President of Sudan International University, Sudan, has a key mandate of implementing the decisions made by the AAU General Conference, the supreme authority of the Association responsible for determining its general policies and direction.

Professor Quilambo (outgoing President) acknowledged the Government of Ghana for its support to the Association over the years. He also paid tribute to the outgoing Board Members for their commitment and contributions to the growth of the Association. He thanked Professor Etienne Ehouan Ehile the outgoing Secretary General for his visionary leadership and recognized the good work of the AAU Secretariat in leading the innovative process of virtual elections – which was a first for the AAU.

The constitution of the AAU allows for the following governing board positions – the President, 3 Vice Presidents, 2 Board Members from each of the 5 regions, 1 Alternate Board Member from each of the 5 regions, as well as a position for the immediate past President and the current Secretary General. The composition of the new Governing Board considers regional representation, gender balance and the profile of the different members of the Association according to the AAU byelaws.

Professor Quilambo confirmed the following distinguished African higher education leaders as the new 2021/2025 AAU Governing Board Members effective 9^th August 2021:

1. Professor Saeed Bakri Osman, (AAU Governing Board President), President of Sudan International University, Sudan
2. Professor Mohamed Hussien El-Mahrasawy, (Vice-President, North Africa Region) President of Al-Azhar University, Egypt
3. Professor Theresia Nkuo-Akenji, (Vice-President, Central Africa Region) Vice Chancellor of Bamenda University, Cameroon
4. Professor Lilian Imuetinyan Salami, (Vice-President, West Africa Region) Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria
5. Professor El Meteini Mahmoud (Board Member, North Africa Region), President of Ain Shams University, Egypt
6. Professor Hisham Abdelsalam, (Alternate Board Member, North Africa Region) President of Egyptian E-learning University
7. Professor Niragira Sanctus, (Board Member, East Africa Region) Rector University of Burundi
8. Professor Kadouf Hunud Abia, (Board Member, East Africa Region) Vice Chancellor of International University of Africa, Sudan
9. Professor Rungano Jonas Zvobgo, (Board Member, Southern Africa Region) Vice Chancellor of Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe
10. Professor Tawana Kupe, (Board Member, Southern Africa Region) Vice Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, South Africa
11. Professor Tsafack Nanfosso, (Board Member, Central Africa Region) Rector of the University of Dschang, Cameroon
12. Professor George E. NKENG, (Alternate Board Member, Central Africa Region) Rector, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Travaux Publics des Yaoundé, Cameroon
13. Professor Elisabetta S. Olarinde, (Board Member, West Africa Region) Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Nigeria
14. Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, (Board Member, West Africa Region) Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana
15. Professor Abiodun Adebayo, (Alternate Board Member, West Africa Region) Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, Nigeria
16. Professor Orlando Antonio Quilambo, (Past President, AAU Governing Board) Rector of Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
17. Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole, Incoming AAU Secretary General, Nigeria

–  END –

About the Association of African Universities, AAU (https://www.aau.org/)

The Association of African Universities is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization created by African Universities to promote cooperation among them on the one hand, and between them and the international academic community on the other. Created in 1967, the AAU is the voice of higher education in Africa. AAU aims to improve the quality of African higher education, and to strengthen its contribution to Africa’s development by supporting the core functions of higher education institutions and facilitating critical reflection and consensus building on issues affecting higher education. It is headquartered in Accra, Ghana, has a membership of more than 400 HEIs and has three regional offices – North Africa Regional Office (NARO) in Cairo, Egypt; East Africa Regional Office (EARO) in Khartoum, Sudan; and North America Office (NAMO) in Washington DC, USA. The Association is the technical implementing arm of the African Union in higher education – with coverage and mandate across the language divide of Africa. We have influence in the francophone, anglophone, lusophone and arabophone regions. The AAU is the coordinating agency of the Higher Education Cluster of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16-25) of the African Union Commission (AUC). Through our guidance, our member universities are responsible for implementing the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA 2024) of the AUC

Media Enquiries

The Association of African Universities, Accra, Ghana

1. Ms Nodumo Dhlamini, Director of ICT Services, Communications and Knowledge Management; ndhlamini@aau.org +233 553019588
2. Felicia Kuagbedzi, Communications and Publications Officer; fnkrumah@aau.org +233 246425147