AAU partner Omni Consulting to promote leadership, management in higher education in Africa
The Association of African Universities (AAU) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Omni Consulting Limited to promote leadership and management in higher education in Africa.
In addition, it would enable university authorities to embark on initiatives that would put their various institutions on the path towards top quartile benchmarks in the global academic rankings.
Professor Olugbemiro Jegede, Secretary-General of AAU, signed on behalf of AAU while Dr Olanrewaju Amosun, Managing Director of Omni Consulting Limited, signed for the company at a brief ceremony in Accra.
He said the partnership was to provide university authorities the opportunity to design and develop the required orientation and leadership development programmes using approaches that had proved successful in world class business organisations.
The AAU established in November 1967 in Rabat, Morocco serves as the continental organisation and principal forum for consultation, exchange of information and cooperation among higher education institutions in Africa.
Prof Jegede expressed hope that the partnership would improve and promote the leadership training for the universities and its authorities in Africa.
He noted that there were 800 universities in Africa and about 150 higher educations with current membership of the association being 300 from 46 African countries.
Prof Jegede explained that vision of the association was to become the representative voice of the African higher education community both within and outside Africa.
“It is also to raise the quality of higher education in Africa and strengthen its contribution to African development by fostering collaboration among member institutions,” he added.
Dr Amosun said the issue of leadership in Africa had been a challenge which needed to be addressed to improve on institutional leadership.
He said his organisation had been responding to the contemporary needs for leadership and human capital development in the educational sector by bringing proven world class techniques from successful intervention in business organisations to educational institutions.
“The partnership seeks to collaborate to engage and equip university authorities across Africa to enhance and create the enabling climates for their universities to improve on leadership,” Dr Amosun said.
Source: GNA