Major Themes

- The role of Higher Education in addressing major global challenges: Sustainable Development, Education for All and Poverty Eradication

-  Societal commitment to Higher Education and the social responsibility of Higher Education

Special Focus

Promoting Excellence To Accelerate Africa’s Development: Towards An African Higher Education and Research Area

Three broad sub-themes

- Internationalization, regionalization and globalization

- Equity, access and quality

-  Learning, research and innovation

Themes and sub-themes will be considered from five perspectives:

-public and private actors' roles and responsibilities

-the emergence of new models and approaches

-the possibilities offered by information and communication technologies  and open and distance learning, including open educational resources

-the implications in terms of funding and investment

-the implications in terms of governance and management