Matengu to lead African universities for a second term

Re-elected president of the Pan-African University (PAU) council, Prof Kenneth Matengu says the institution is committed to assisting universities to achieve Agenda 2063 through capacity-building programmes.The University of Namibia vice chancellor has been re-elected to helm the council for another three-year term, until October 2027.Matengu told Namibian Sun in an interview last Thursday that PAU offers competitive scholarships to qualified individuals to pursue an MSc or PhD at any of the PAU institutes.Matengu said scholarship opportunities are channelled to relevant ministries within member states, with information also shared on the PAU website."Currently, there are six Namibian beneficiaries all pursuing MScs, and more than 10 have already graduated. Namibian institutions can partner with PAU in their research proposals and grant applications related to Agenda 2063 to any funder. This is strongly encouraged,” he said, adding that as part of the EU-Africa Strategy, the EU has the Global Gateway Initiative, which has dedicated resources to support mobility in African universities.“In this regard, I signed EUR978 million in April 2024 for this purpose. The calls will be open in October/November. Namibian institutions are free to apply and compete. In fact, some Namibian institutions of higher learning are already benefitting from the first round of projects,” Matengu said.High-level opportunities Matengu said PAU, a flagship institution of the African Union (AU), focuses on research, especially entrepreneurship and product development.For this reason, PAU only offers master&#039;s and PhD qualifications. A total of 3 474 (1 194 men and 2 280 women) from 51 AU member states have already graduated – 2 685 with an MSc/MA and 789 with a PhD.“These are levels of skills [in which] Africa needs more investments to develop conversion competence. However, investments in research by African governments into African universities remain very weak,” Matengu said.Education needsAt a continental level, he said Africa needs 100 000 PhD-level scientists to realise its potential.There are specific programmes agreed upon by member states, with a particular emphasis on and investments in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) subjects at both basic and tertiary education levels."All PAU academic programmes, namely, MScs and PhDs, were reviewed and aligned to the fourth industrial revolution. These activities were done in consultations with stakeholders and the industry, with support from GIZ and the African Development Bank, and to some extent by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),” Matengu said, adding that the promotion of entrepreneurship remains a priority and funds at PAU for this have been in place.

Matengu to lead African universities for a second term

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Matengu to lead African universities for a second term

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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