Accra, Ghana – The Association of African Universities (AAU) Secretariat in Accra was the setting for a historic high-level engagement on December 11, 2025, as it welcomed Her Excellency Francia Márquez, Vice President of the Republic of Colombia, and a distinguished delegation of senior officials. The delegation included Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs; Saia María Vergara Jaime, Vice Minister of Heritage, Memories, and Cultural Governance; Eleonora Betancur Gonzalez, Director General of the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia; Sandra Patricia Pinzón Ortíz, Coordinator of Cooperation and International Affairs, Office of the Vice-President; and Kelis Zulay Moreno, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Colombia in Ghana. The meeting marked a decisive step in strengthening South-South cooperation, with a focused agenda on forging concrete academic and scientific partnerships between Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC), anchored by the strategic AAU-Obreal partnership. Watch Highlights of the visit via this link.
A Foundation of Shared Vision
Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole, Secretary-General of the AAU, extended a warm welcome and underscored the timeliness of the dialogue. He referenced the existing ties between the AAU and the Association of Colombian Universities (ASCUN), emphasizing the engagement’s importance in strengthening relations and achieving shared objectives. Professor Oyewole highlighted key collaborative interests for AAU and Colombian universities, including Energy, Food Security, Climate Change, and Arts and Culture. He also underscored Africa’s strategic advantage of a large youth population. The Secretary-General took the opportunity to pay tribute to the Government of Ghana for hosting the AAU Secretariat in Accra.
Dr. Nicolás Patrici, representing Obreal, highlighted the pivotal role of the AAU-Obreal partnership as the cornerstone for structured Africa-LAC collaboration and thanked the AAU for hosting the delegation. He also noted the successful organisation of the third Interregional Dialogue on Education and Development in Bogotá, Colombia, from November 4–7, 2025, while praising the Government of Colombia for strengthening its relations with Africa.
In her remarks, Vice President Márquez emphasized the fundamental importance of this new chapter in Colombia-Africa relations. “Education and universities are crucial for the freedom of our time,” she stated, affirming Colombia’s commitment to strengthening exchanges with African higher education institutions. She positioned the meeting as a catalyst to consolidating achievements into tangible collaboration.
Strategic Priorities and Converging Agendas
Professor Oyewole presented the AAU’s mission and flagship programmes, detailing the existing 2023 AAU-ASCUN agreement as a ready framework for expansion. Key collaborative areas were mapped out with strategic clarity, including artificial intelligence for inclusive development, mobility, joint research, and other focal areas critical to connecting African and Colombian universities. These initiatives aim to build on proven cooperation models and identify viable engagement pathways. Colombian officials, including the Vice Minister of Culture, elaborated on national priorities where universities are key actors, from a nationwide arts-in-schools programme to a language training plan. They extended a specific invitation to African researchers to explore the linguistic heritage of Afro-descendant communities in Colombia, adding a rich cultural and academic dimension to the partnership.
The Pivotal Forthcoming Forum: A Call to Co-Creation
A central outcome of the meeting was the formal invitation for the AAU to play a leading role as a convening partner for the High-Level Africa-LAC Meeting scheduled for 17–21 March 2026 in Colombia. The Colombian delegation expressed a clear desire for this forum to be a transformative, co-created event rather than a singular diplomatic gathering. They requested the AAU’s direct involvement from the outset to help shape a substantial academic track, ensuring the dialogue yields a strong bi-regional agreement for sustained knowledge exchange.
Charting the Course Forward
The dialogue culminated in concrete next steps and structure for implementation. Focal points were designated, a joint roadmap was discussed, and a collaborative framework was agreed upon. In closing, Professor Oyewole expressed the AAU’s readiness to immediately advance the discussed initiatives and begin planning for the March 2026 event. He highlighted Africa’s demographic youth dividend as a powerful asset for this transcontinental partnership. Dr. Patrici of Obreal captured the moment’s significance, noting that “Latin America and Africa [are now sitting] together on the soil of the Association of African Universities.” This high-level engagement has successfully laid the institutional groundwork for a dynamic and purposeful Africa-Colombia partnership, poised to leverage higher education, science, technology, and culture as engines for mutual growth and deepened South-South solidarity.
