The African Women in Higher Education Network (WoHEN), in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU), is pleased to invite all stakeholders in African higher education to the WoHEN Side Event at the 16th Quadrennial General Conference.
Venue: University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Rabat, Morocco
Date: July 21st – 25th, 2025
Side Event Session: 5A, Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Theme: “Women’s Contribution to Higher Education in Africa: Driving Change for Innovation and Sustainability”
WoHEN Registration Form: https://forms.office.com/r/X6wzULRacr
General Conference Registration Link: https://indico.aau.org/event/1/registrations/1/
General Conference Website: https://events.aau.org/gencon/
Participation in the WoHEN event requires registration for the General Conference, therefore interested participants are to register for both events.
Background
Women across Africa are making significant contributions to innovation and sustainability, two central goals of African higher education. As African nations integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their education systems, women’s participation in tertiary education, especially STEM disciplines, continues to rise. This focus has created a vibrant and dynamic academic landscape that addresses skill gaps and promotes gender equity. According to UNESCO, approximately 30% of science professionals in Africa are women, and female enrollment in STEM courses is steadily increasing (Garwe and Chikwiri, 2021).
Despite these advances, women in African HEIs still face numerous gender-based obstacles and socio-cultural and institutional barriers that limit their access to leadership and recognition. This hinders their full impact on innovation and sustainable development (Founou et al., 2023). Overcoming these challenges requires systemic commitment to gender parity, not only for fairness but as a vital driver of Africa’s sustainable development. Achieving leadership parity is, as Nalova and Ayuk-Etang (2020) note, “critical to sustainable development.”
Introduction
The African Women in Higher Education Network (WoHEN) was established by the AAU and its partners in 2021 to advocate for gender equity in African higher education through advocacy, research, capacity-building, and policy dialogues. Launched at the 15th AAU General Conference, WoHEN continues to empower women across HEIs by providing platforms for exchange, visibility, and leadership, including commemorating International Women’s Day and other impactful initiatives.
Aligned with its vision and mission and to further solidify its impact, WoHEN will host a dedicated side event at the AAU’s 16th Quadrennial General Conference (QGC), taking place at UM6P, Rabat, Morocco, from 21st to 25th July 2025. The overall conference theme is “Shaping the Future of Higher Education for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa,” with a dedicated focus on the subtheme “Contribution of Higher Education to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Recognizing gender equity as a critical SDG (SDG 5), the WoHEN event will highlight women’s leadership and contributions to transforming African higher education for innovation, sustainability, and inclusive progress.
Side Event: Women’s Contribution to Higher Education in Africa: Driving Change for Innovation and Sustainability
This WoHEN side event will explore the vital role of women in advancing innovation, sustainability, and gender-responsive leadership in African higher education institutions. The event will encourage participants to exchange knowledge, best practices, and actionable strategies to support women’s leadership and enhance gender equity in HEIs.
Specifically, we will focus on:
- Women’s contributions in HEIs toward achieving the SDGs.
- How gender inequality may limit women’s impact in HEIs.
- WoHEN as a catalyst for empowering women in HEI leadership.
This 2-hour event offers a valuable opportunity for networking, knowledge exchange, and identifying collaborative actions that will support women’s advancement and promote gender equality across African higher education. Participants will gain insights from experienced leaders, engage in focused discussions, and explore innovative approaches to achieving equity.
Proposed Programme
- Welcome
- Keynote Presentation – Delivered by a distinguished expert highlighting the current landscape of women’s contributions to innovation and sustainable development in African HEIs (e.g. STEM, research, leadership).
- Panel Discussion & Interactive Q&A – Women leaders from diverse disciplines and career stages will share their personal stories, strategies for navigating challenges, and achieving success in academia.
- SDG Impact Showcases – Presentations on up to four high-impact projects addressing SDG challenges led by women across African HEIs.
- WoHEN Network Overview – Presentation by WoHEN representatives on the network’s mission, achievements, and resources for its members.
- Group Discussion – Interactive group work to identify concrete actions to promote gender equity and support women’s leadership across HEIs.
- What actions can African HEIs take to advance gender equity?
- How can we leverage local and international networks to accelerate progress?
- What policy changes are needed to support African women’s leadership in HEIs?
- Closing & Call to Action
Why Attend?
This WoHEN side event provides an invaluable opportunity for vice-chancellors, academics, policymakers, students, and international partners to share knowledge, make new connections, and leave with practical tools for promoting gender parity and sustainability in African higher education. Attendees will gain deeper insight into the systemic challenges facing women in academia, learn best practices from across Africa, and help shape a concrete roadmap for action.
We look forward to welcoming you to Rabat as we leverage these platforms for strategic dialogues, policy engagements, knowledge sharing, and collaborative initiatives that will empower women leaders and strengthen Africa’s higher education systems.
For inquiries, please contact:
Dr. Felicia Nkrumah Kuagbedzi, Organizing Team — WoHEN
Email: fnkrumah@aau.org
