Africa and the Future of Education

In 2025, AFRIG hosted our biggest conference to date with a theme that inspired thoughtful and motivated presentations from invited speakers.

As with previous years, conference attendees were as much a key part of the proceedings as the speakers, enthusiastically engaging with the events.

Held for the first time at ARU in Cambridge, the conference also saw a keynote presented by the University’s own postgraduate students. A second keynote was presented by Professor Prospera Tedam.

Three attendees of the Africa Research Interest Group annual conference 2025

Theme and presentations

Our theme for 2025 was Africa and the Future of Education.

The conference started on a very positive note with postgraduate students Faith Onoberhie, Sandra Obed and Daniel Uponi presenting their take on the conference theme, with a talk entitled Chalkboard to Chatbot: Reimagining African Education. This was both reflective and forward looking.

In their presentation, the students considered their early educational experiences showing what they considered to be limitations of those experiences. In a very interactive session, they then showcased what they considered to be the future of education in Africa. The presentation not only highlighted the role that technology will play in the future of African education, but the potential accessibility of resources in terms of ease of use and availability.

With students like this, there is a lot of promise in the education prospects of the African continent.

Following the students' presentation, we had our second keynote, with Professor Prospera Tedam delivering a riveting presentation on The Role of African Scholars in Decolonising Research.

In her presentation, Professor Tedam not only addressed the key message of the need for African scholars to decolonise research but also our responsibility to support each other as researchers in the process. In a very engaging and thoughtful segment, Professor Tedam shared welcome advice from her many years of experience as an academic and an editor.

With food playing a big part in African culture, lunch at AFRIG conferences has become a notable part of the proceedings and this year was no different. An African-themed lunch break offered an opportunity for attendees to network while sampling food from different African cuisines. The lunch break also provided attendees with the opportunity to buy some books from Barry Awolusi, who had brought with him two of his books: Anybody can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad and Lessons from an unexpected journey. Proceeds were donated to charity.

Autor Barry Awolusi holding a copy of one of his books

After the lunch break we had a guest presentation from Jheni Arboine from the University of Arts London. Jheni gave a thought-provoking speech on the topic In Search of our Missing Epistemic Pedagogies - A Manifesto Through the Lens of an Afro-Caribbean Diasporic Positionality.

In the talk, Jheni presented eight points that responded to the conference theme of Africa and the future of education, in the context of a climate of disruption, uncertainty and complex challenges. Jheni referenced advances in AI, solar technologies and semiotic theory. In all, Jheni’s presentation gave us all a pause for thought and an opportunity to think about our future.

Following Jheni's presentation we had Dr Francis Adelade Fakoya and PhD candidate Andrew Oyedola offer their views on the conference’s theme.

Dr Fakoya’s presentation, Africa’s Investments in Research Infrastructure: Opportunities, Threats and Modalities, acknowledged Africa’s potential for transformative growth driven by the young population bountiful natural resources and increasing digital connectivity.

The presentation examined the multifaceted opportunities, inherent threats, and innovative modalities for enhancing Africa's research infrastructure in the 21st century. It argued that while significant threats persist, the opportunities presented by growing political will, human capital potential, and increasing regional integration offer a compelling narrative for sustained investment. By embracing innovative funding modalities, fostering strong regional collaboration, prioritizing human capital development, and ensuring robust governance, Africa can transform its research landscape, turning its scientific aspirations into tangible socio-economic progress for generations to come.

Dr Fakoya put forward that the goal is not merely to build infrastructure, but to cultivate a vibrant, self-reliant, and globally competitive African research ecosystem.

Andrew Ayedola then presented a passionate speech: The Role of Diaspora Researchers in Rebuilding African Education and Economy: Leveraging Knowledge for Endogenous African Development. In the presentation, Andrew advocated for a call to arms for Africa, outlining the challenges that Africa has faced historically which have resulted in economic imbalances that have hindered sustainable growth and persistent knowledge disparities. Andrew also noted that there were opportunities as African researchers in the diaspora posses unique knowledge and tools to help Africa develop for the future. He emphasised that as diasporans we can harness the potential for Africa’s self-driven educational and economic growth. Andrew’s presentation was a much-needed call to action highlighting challenges but also providing some credible recommendations.

The final presentation of the day was given by Charity Chukwuemeka. Charity gave an emotive presentation entitled Science Education Crisis in Africa – A Peep into Nigerian Schools. In the presentation, Charity showcased the reality of what education is like in African schools with a very personal reflection on her experiences as a student who despite the very real challenges she faced managed to do well to achieve her postgraduate degree. Charity also shared how her contrasting educational experiences (the value of having adequate resources vs the lack of resources) made her realise how she needed to give back to her community and ensure that future students from her own background should at the very least have some access to scientific equipment that people in developed countries take for granted. The most profound message that Charity shared was that she did not want her story of giving back to be just an inspirational story but echoing the earlier call to action that was also agreed to by those present.

In summary

As the conference was held in Cambridge, some participants couldn't attend in person but had the opportunity to join via Teams. The audience attending online was just as involved, raised key questions and contributed invaluable insights. We were even privileged to have the company of an invited guest joining us all the way from Nigeria and adding their perspective to our theme of the day.

Group of attendees of the Africa Research Interest Group annual conference 2025

In all the, conference was a success and we enjoyed a larger audience than the previous two years. There was a consensus that there is great potential for education in Africa but for it to become a reality, action needs to be taken now.

As a research group, we'll continue to focus on our established aims. These include effecting ARU’s institutional objectives, and community engagement.

Next steps

Through the 2025 conference, we continued to promote the Africa Research Interest Group, our purpose and aims. We also engaged more potential members.

This year’s conference was part of a successful year for AFRIG, with other activities including:

We continue to raise awareness of the potential and capacity of academic and research staff of African origin to contribute towards various University strategies.