African virtual university designed to give added-value to higher education in Africa, Moroccan official
Regional-Morocco, Education, 4/29/2003

The African virtual conference is braced to give an added-value to higher education in Africa by helping to overcome geographic obstacles and putting new information and communication technologies at the service of integration objectives, said Monday Moroccan higher education minister Khalid Alioua.

Alioua, who attended the opening session of a two-day international conference to raise funds for the African Virtual Conference told MAP the university, set up in 1997 with a backing of the World Bank and other donors, will also contribute to train trainers and generalize education.

The AVU is a south-south forum of exchanges that can play an efficient part in promoting south-north relations, added the minister before mentioning the possibility of establishing remote-communication between the Nairobi-based AVU and the world's most prestigious university centers. He added that this institution, that will be using state-of-the-art technologies to keep abreast with latest technological innovations will not only be useful for students but also for university teachers.

In a message sent to the opening session held under the chairmanship of prince Moulay Rachid, King Mohammed VI highlighted the intrinsic link between African prosperity and the promotion of human resources in the continent, describing the overhaul of education and training systems in African countries as one of the strongest pillars of the NEPAD Initiative (New Partnership for African Development).

After stressing the importance of the new information and communication technologies in settling the complicated cost-efficiency equation of education in Africa, the sovereign vowed that "Morocco will continue to be at the forefront of advocates who support such African projects within South-South cooperation."

Initially headquartered in Washington, the University moved in 2002 to Nairobi (Kenya) and has acquired the status of an independent inter-governmental organization.

To date, over 23,000 African students have taken part in the seminars and conferences broadcast on its network of 31 learning centers. Courses dispensed at this internationally-reputed higher education institution are broadcast via satellite transmission.

Now in its third expansion phase, the university has crafted an ambitious strategy that grants the priority, for the five coming years, to developing and offering high quality curricula in such fields as computer science, engineering, management, education and public health.

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