The SASA 4th Annual International Conference and the Status Conference on University Education in Kenya will take place in Nairobi, Kenya on August 22 - 26, 2016.  Sponsored by the Society for Advancement of Science in Africa (SASA), the Commission for University Education (CUE) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the theme of the conference will be “Advancing Africa’s Development through Science, Technology and Innovation”. Organized in part by Dr. Eusebius Mukhwana, a 2009 Borlaug LEAP Fellow, the conference will take place over five days and will cover such topics as Dealing with the Changing Face of Higher Education in Kenya, How to Make Kenya’s University Sector More Globally Competitive, and How to Promote Scientific Research and Collaboration in the Country.  As countries try and become more and more globally relevant, many feel that it is important for countries like Kenya to start planning ways to improve in areas like higher education and research and development.

Dr. Mukhwana, who is currently serving as the Deputy Commission Secretary for the Planning, Research and Development Commission for University Education in Kenya, has high hopes for this upcoming conference: “Demand for University education in Kenya and Africa has increased dramatically in recent years. […] Unfortunately the increase in student numbers has not been matched with increases and improvements in the number of faculty and teaching/research resources. […]  The (SASA) conference on University education will […] provide ample opportunity for students, scholars, researchers, and policy makers in Africa and the world to […] evaluate trends, identify challenges and opportunities, and chart the way forward.”

He also emphasizes that “the conference will provide a good forum for those in the public and private sectors to interact and turn some of these challenges into […] opportunities that will help transform Africa’s university sector into a globally competitive one.  I am happy to be one of the key people organizing the conference and I invite all (who are interested) to attend.”

The themes are “Status of Higher Education in Kenya” and “Advancing Africa’s Development through Science, Technology and Innovation”.   They are extending an invitation to attend the conference to interested individuals including students, researchers, policy makers, and development workers.

Important dates:

1 July 2016     Deadline for submission of abstracts

15 July 2016   Early Registration closes

31 July 2016  Late Registration closes

For more information about the conference, please visit the Commission for University Education website.