Professor Aryeetey was speaking as a panelist at a plenary session of an event organized by Una Europa which took place on 27 September 2022 at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute.  It was on the theme: International Research and Innovation Collaboration in a Changing World – aspirations for 2030 and beyond. 

Professor Aryeetey said that ARUA recognises the need to collaborate with other universities elsewhere in the world to look for solutions to the common problems that face them, adding that this should be based on mutual respect and a recognition of what each person brings to the table.  He said new funding models are required beyond what African governments are willing to put into universities.  Explaining how the ARUA Centres of Excellence works, he said, the 13 Centres of Excellence have been identified against priority areas of interest that reflect the SDGS.  Through the Centres of Excellence, ARUA brings together renowned experts who are doing good works in a particular area so that regardless of their individual institutions, and coming under the umbrella of ARUA, these African experts are able to collaborate with other renowned experts to find solutions to problems that confront them.

Professor Aryeetey mentioned ARUA’s partnership with the Guild and UKRI, and said ARUA is open to work with Una Europa or any institution for that matter that recognises that transnational problems require transnational solutions.

Professor Aryeetey met with some African students studying at the University of Edinburgh.

Una Europa is an alliance of 11 European universities and a part of the European Universities Alliances.