The Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (UNESCO-ICHEI) and Mulungushi University (MU) to strengthen digital transformation in higher education across Southern Africa.
The MoU provides a framework for collaboration in establishing the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Southern Africa Regional Centre, which will be hosted by Mulungushi University. The Centre aims to strengthen digital and artificial intelligence (AI) competencies, expand access to online learning and promote innovation and collaboration among higher education institutions in the region.
Roles and responsibilities of the partners
Under the MoU, the partners will have the following responsibilities:
- UNESCO-ICHEI will provide and maintain the IIOE online learning platform, offer digital and AI-related learning resources, support course development and training, facilitate international partnerships and provide expertise in digital transformation.
- Mulungushi University will host and coordinate the Regional Centre, provide operational support, mobilise universities and relevant stakeholders, and coordinate the implementation of regional activities and partnerships.
- SARUA will facilitate regional networking, support the mobilisation of member universities to join the IIOE network, contribute to regional strategies and annual workplans, and assist in coordinating activities, partnerships, knowledge exchange and monitoring institutional participation.
Opportunities for SARUA members
The establishment of the Regional Centre presents an important opportunity for member universities to strengthen their institutional capabilities in digital transformation and AI, access online learning and capacity-building resources, participate in course development and collaborative research and establish partnerships with regional and international institutions.
SARUA encourages its members to engage actively with this initiative and explore how participation in the IIOE network can support their institutional priorities in digital education and innovation.
Further information on the IIOE platform is available at www.iioe.org. SARUA will share updates on the Centre’s activities and opportunities for participation as implementation progresses.
We look forward to working with UNESCO-ICHEI, Mulungushi University and our member institutions to advance inclusive, innovative and digitally enabled higher education across Southern Africa.
