A regional fund for study and innovation grants for Africa has been established by three African governments and a collective of business leaders under the World Bank’s Partnership for Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, or PASET.
The aim of PASET is to speed up the creation of a qualified and high quality workforce to support Africa’s socio-economic transition. Read more...

The first stone has been laid in Douala of UTEC, the Université de Technologies du Cinquantenaire, a new technology university being built at a cost of XAF25 billion (US$42.7 million) by the Cameroon Evangelical Church. Read more...

By Sheldon G Weeks. The old University of Botswana and the new Botswana International University of Science and Technology, both public institutions, have been experiencing a time of turmoil. At one university the vice-chancellor has faced challenges. The other’s leader resigned after only 17 months and left the country. Read more...

By Karen MacGregor. This month, at Africa’s biggest gathering of social scientists, the quality of papers and depth of reflection made it clear that universities are turning a corner. “It indicated significant recovery taking place in higher education systems,” said Dr Ebrima Sall, executive secretary of CODESRIA – the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa.
The 14th General Assembly of CODESRIA and a scientific conference were held in the Senegalese capital Dakar from 8-12 June, under the theme “Creating African Futures in an Era of Global Transformations: Challenges and prospects”. Read more...

By Elizia Volkmann. The private sector is stepping in to provide higher education in information technology in Morocco, as the government struggles to match demand from the North African country’s growing economy with an output of highly skilled graduates. Read more...

By Wagdy Sawahel. A Tripoli University Business Incubator is to be created in the Libyan capital in an effort to narrow the gap between university educational outputs and the needs of the workplace, and to encourage new businesses. The initiative supports Libya Vision 2020, which includes sweeping higher education reform. Read more...

By Jane Marshall. Two private higher education institutions in Mauritius, both with Indian links, are to close. The Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (Mauritius Branch Campus), or EIILM, will shut in December 2015 and the Amity Institute of Higher Education in June 2016, according to press reports. Read more...

By Esther Nakkazi. Lecturers at all six public universities in Uganda will have a salary increase of 53% effective from July. The pay hike is an effort by the government to improve higher education quality and skills development. But academics are not impressed. Read more...

By Maina Waruru. Just months after a terror attack killed 148 people at Garissa University College in northeast Kenya, 300 of its surviving students have been awarded scholarships to complete their studies by the German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD.
The students from poor and vulnerable backgrounds will complete their courses at Moi University, the parent institution of Garissa. DAAD is meeting their tuition fees in full plus living expenses – a first step in fully integrating them into mainstream studies. Read more...

By Gilbert Nganga. Kenyatta University – Kenya’s largest institution by student numbers – has teamed up with New York-based private equity firm Integras to build hostels with a total of 10,000 beds. The US$11 million project is to be executed under a public-private partnership. Read more...