The Association of Arab Universities Participates in QS Africa 2026 Forum and Announces the Launch of the Arab-African University Presidents Summit

Prof. Anas Ratib Al-Soud, Executive Director of the Association of Arab Universities (AArU), concluded his participation in the QS Africa 2026 Forum, hosted by United Arab Emirates University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the participation of university presidents, higher education leaders, policymakers, and experts from Africa and around the world.

Prof. Al-Soud chaired the high-level dialogue session titled “Arab-African University Cooperation: Advancing Cross-Regional Impactful Research”, alongside Prof. Olusola Bandele Oyewole, Secretary General of the Association of African Universities. The session explored ways to enhance academic and research cooperation between Arab and African universities, develop sustainable institutional partnerships, strengthen knowledge production, and expand impactful research addressing shared challenges.

Participants highlighted the importance of joint efforts in addressing key priorities, including sustainable development, climate change, health, digital transformation, innovation, and future skills development, reinforcing the role of universities as drivers of development, innovation, and knowledge societies.

As one of the forum’s key outcomes, H.E. Prof. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary General of AArU, and Prof. Olusola Bandele Oyewole, Secretary General of the Association of African Universities, agreed to launch the Arab-African University Presidents Summit, to be held for the first time alongside QS Africa 2027 Forum. The Summit will serve as a permanent institutional platform to strengthen strategic cooperation in higher education, research, innovation, and capacity building.

The initiative received wide recognition from participants and was officially included in the Addis Ababa Declaration, announced during the forum’s closing session as a reference document highlighting the key recommendations and strategic initiatives emerging from the event.

AArU reaffirms its commitment to working with African partners and international higher education organizations to transform the forum’s outcomes into practical programs and sustainable partnerships that advance higher education, research, innovation, and knowledge exchange between Arab and African universities.