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Vision:  IUCEA becomes an exemplary common higher education area for a prosperous and sustainable East African Community by 2030.

Mission: To encourage and develop mutually beneficial collaboration between Member Universities and between them and Governments and other organizations, both public and private

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East Africa Calls for Stronger Quality Assurance to Build Future-Ready Higher Education Systems

KIGALI, Rwanda/7th September 2026 — East African higher education stakeholders have been urged to strengthen quality assurance systems and move decisively from the development of regional frameworks to their effective implementation to build a more integrated, trusted and future-ready higher education system across the region.

The call was made during the 15th East African Higher Education Quality Assurance Forum and Conference, taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 7–10 September 2026, under the theme: “Transforming Quality Assurance for Future-Ready Higher Education Systems in East Africa.”

Speaking at the Forum, Hon. Joseph Nsengimani, the Minister of Education, Rwanda, highlighted the urgency of preparing East Africa’s higher education systems for a rapidly changing world shaped by artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and evolving labour market demands.

He challenged higher education stakeholders to ensure that education systems equip young people with the knowledge, skills, competencies and adaptability required to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven and knowledge-based economy.

The Minister emphasised that quality assurance must go beyond being a regulatory or bureaucratic requirement and instead serve as a foundation for building trust, strengthening mobility and promoting the recognition of qualifications across East Africa.

He noted that effective quality assurance enables students to pursue learning opportunities across borders, gives employers greater confidence in qualifications, and creates an environment in which higher education institutions can collaborate more effectively across the region.

Speaking at the same Forum, Prof. Idris A. Rai, Acting Executive Secretary of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), highlighted the significant progress East Africa has made in laying the foundations for a harmonised regional higher education system.

Prof. Rai noted that, working closely with EAC Partner States, National Councils and Commissions, universities and development partners, IUCEA has supported the development of important regional instruments covering quality assurance, programme accreditation, qualifications recognition, credit accumulation and transfer, and research excellence.

He observed that East Africa has reached an important point in its higher education integration journey, where the priority must now be to translate regional commitments and instruments into tangible outcomes for students, academics, institutions, employers and societies across the region.

Prof. Rai pointed to the IUCEA Strategic Plan 2026–2031, launched in July 2026, as a significant milestone in this transition from foundational harmonisation to the operationalisation of a fully functional Common Higher Education Area that is responsive, digitally mature and aligned with East Africa’s development priorities.

The operationalisation of the Common Higher Education Area is a major strategic objective of the new Plan. It brings together key areas of regional cooperation, including programme accreditation, qualifications frameworks and recognition, credit accumulation and transfer, harmonisation of higher education policies, and strengthened regional quality assurance systems.

According to Prof. Rai, the success of this ambition will depend not only on the existence of regional instruments, but also on the collective commitment of Partner States, regulatory agencies, universities and other stakeholders to implement them consistently and effectively.

The Forum brought together policymakers, quality assurance agencies, higher education leaders, academics, students, development partners and other stakeholders to examine how quality assurance can be transformed to respond to the changing demands of higher education.

Discussions at the Forum are expected to focus on emerging trends and innovations in quality assurance, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, qualifications recognition, student and staff mobility, institutional collaboration and the development of future-ready higher education systems.

The 15th Forum underscores the shared commitment of East African Partner States and higher education stakeholders to strengthening quality assurance as a strategic instrument for regional integration, human capital development and socio-economic transformation.

As East Africa moves towards a more integrated Common Higher Education Area, IUCEA is calling for stronger collaboration and collective action to ensure that regional higher education systems do not simply respond to change, but anticipate it, shape it and prepare the next generation to lead it.

ENDS!

For Information, please contact:

Gai Peter Manyuon, PhD
Public Relations and Corporate Communications Officer
Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA)
Tel: +256 700 421 986
Email: gmanyuon@iucea.org

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