African Virtual Campus

The African Virtual Campus is one of three flagship projects contributing to implementation of the Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) adopted by the African Union in January 2007. The other two flagship projects are Capacity-building in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy and Enhancing Science and Technology Education.

These three flagship projects were approved by UNESCO’s General Conference in October 2007, within UNESCO’s plan of action for contributing to the CPA.

The African Virtual Campus is developing a network of fully operational e-learning national centres across Africa – one per country – by 2012, with initial financial support from the Government of Spain. This Internet-based network will be used for large-scale student and teacher training.

The African Virtual Campus will work closely with universities around the Mediterranean basin belonging to the first network founded by UNESCO and the European Commission in 2002, the Avicenna Virtual Campus. From day one, the participating university in each African country will be able to use the modules developed by the Avicenna network over the past five years. Ultimately, each African centre will produce modules of its own which will then be pooled among institutions participating in both the Avicenna and African Virtual Campuses.

The concept for the Avicenna Virtual Campus and African Virtual Campus was devised by UNESCO consultant Dr Mohammed Miloudi, who remains co-ordinator of the project.

Contact the Project Coordinator

Read about the Avicenna Virtual Campus.

RECENT DEVELOPMENT

  • African Virtual Campus to be extended to IGAD region

    March 2011 – As part of its 2011-2013 plan of action for Africa, UNESCO is working on a fund-raising strategy in co-operation with Africa’s regional economic communities, as well as with its financial partners. These partners include the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Commission. At a workshop in Djibouti on 19 March 2011, it was decided to extend this action plan to cover the creation of African Virtual Campuses in the countries of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), namely Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. Originally put forward by Prof Dietmar Moeller from the University of Hamburg in Germany, the idea has been taken up by the UNESCO co-ordinator of the African Virtual Campus, Dr Mohamed Miloudi, as a possible means of guaranteeing the concept’s sustainability.

    European Commission publishes article on African Virtual Campus

    March 2011 – The European Commission has interviewed the rectors of two of universities participating in the African Virtual Campus: Professor Niang from the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal, which was one of the first universities to join the network in November 2008, and Professor Amah d'Almeida from the University of Lome in Togo, which joined the network last year. The African Virtual Campus is one of several projects identified by the African Union Commission to respond to certain technological needs and challenges on the continent. These projects were agreed upon with the European Commission in 2008 as a basis for the 8th Strategic Partnership between the European Union and African Union on Science, ICTs and Space. Partnership Co-ordinator Francesco Affinito called the projects ‘high desirable’ as they build up Africa’s own research capacity. 'The African virtual Campus is one example of ICT systems being used to further the interests of research and higher education', he said. (Read the article)

    Cape Verde joins virtual campus network

    May 2009 - The African Virtual Campus has gained a fourth partner, Cape Verde. This brings the number of countries participating in the campus to four with Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. (More)

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