2022 – 2027

ARUA Strategic Plan

This first strategic plan seeks to position ARUA as the foremost network of independent public universities supporting the transformation of Africa with research and innovation.

The plan will align ARUA’s current initiatives with its core vision of significantly expanding and enhancing the quality of research done in Africa by African researchers to consolidate the gains made since inception.

The Strategic Plan was created at a time where African universities have been labelled as less competitive and there was the need to significantly enhance the quantity and quality of research they do. It is expected to guide ARUA move towards achieving its vision which is to make African researchers and institutions globally competitive while contributing to the generation of knowledge for socio-economic transformation in Africa.

It is anticipated that this plan will place ARUA in a stronger position to attract funding from international organizations to complement the limited resources being provided by member universities. It is also expected that the plan will encourage a few other capable and like-minded African universities to want to join the network. The larger network will ensure that more African countries benefit directly from the core business of ARUA

There are four areas that ARUA has been pursuing, and upon which the Strategic Plan has focused. The areas are (i) enhanced research, (ii) enhanced graduate support and training, (iii) institutional capability for research management, and (iv) Advocacy and Leverage. Some of the more specific goals in the Strategic Plan include the establishment of the African University, establishing strong links with industry and other sectors, producing good quality PhD graduates, ensuring 75 percent of faculty in member universities have at least a PhD, advocating for funding and increasing the number of Centres of Excellence.

ARUA is pursuing several large multi-university projects in both the natural sciences and the social sciences/humanities, all of which are key to addressing some of the complex economic, social and developmental challenges confronting the continent.

Enhanced Research

ARUA believes that a structured response will be key to eliminating bottlenecks in the management of projects and ensuring that, working collaboratively, member universities will experience significant improvements in the research management.

Institutional Capability for Research Management

Emphasis on high-quality, research-led training of graduates has become an essential means for ensuring that the talent needed to address the myriad challenges confronting African economies is not lost to institutions in the global north.

Enhanced Graduate Support & Training

ARUA takes the position that African research is indeed on the rise and needs to be brought to the attention of potential stakeholders.

Institutionalised Research Advocacy

ARUA Strategic Plan 2022-2027

Africa’s future will be determined by the effort that the region makes in pursuit of Agenda 2063 of the African Union and how such effort is amplified in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The effort must be driven by the availability and application of new knowledge in the production of goods and services, as well as in the governance and management of societies. This is what the development and application of new technologies and innovation are all about.

The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) has launched its Strategic Plan for the next five (5) years (i.e., from 2022 to 2027). The Plan, which was launched in Accra, took place at the end of a three (3) day Capacity Building Workshop for Institutional Planning & Research Managers of ARUA member universities.