Babcock University said there is huge potential in the deployment of artificial intelligence in academics and across sectors, especially now that the world is going digital. Babcock University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ademola Tayo, noted that universities are going digital and the need to equip both staff and students to be on top of the digital revolution going on in the world, including AI, machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), has become more pressing now than before.

Tayo stated this when the varsity got a new N1.5 billion ICT centre from New Horizons as part of efforts to celebrate the 23rd Convocation ceremony of the varsity in Ilishan Remo, Ogun State. The VC noted that currently, it is not just the cognitive knowledge alone, “but what you can use your hand combined with your brain to do that matters now.

Because of the digital revolution in the world today, we feel it is high time for us to ensure that the university community is fully ready to contribute to the digital revolution and ICT.” According to him, the varsity will not relent in adding any latest development in the world that will be required for the students to be relevant in the 21st Century.

The Federal Ministry of Education has launched a new technology-driven platform known as BRIDGE — Bridging Research, Innovation, Development, and Global Engagement — to connect Nigerian professionals in the diaspora with tertiary institutions and research centres across the country.

Speaking on Channels Television, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the platform as the first of its kind in Nigeria, designed to enable diaspora experts to contribute directly to academic development in the country.

“This is the first time in the history of the country that we’re tapping into the vast resources of our diaspora population in a structured and technological way,” Alausa said. “Nigerians excel everywhere in the world. Now, we are using this excellence to support our universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and research institutions.”

Academics and researchers attending a Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) Global Forum meeting on 21 July heard how innovation and research are helping governments and societies to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A session on “Research and Innovation: Advancing science-based solutions for the SDGs” learned how science-based solutions through product prototypes and tools, as well as higher education studies “can drive policy and market transformation towards more sustainable practices”, said a HESI note.

Moderated by Bosen Lily Liu, head of partnership and UN liaison at the UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education, the meeting debated how successful higher education science-based solutions have been in prompting progress, specifically on SDGs 3 (Good health and wellbeing), 5 (Gender equality), 8 (Decent work and economic growth), and 14 (Life below water).

Science was in the spotlight at this year’s main United Nations event monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals – advancing science-based solutions was in its theme. Global higher education gathered to craft a greater role for universities in shaping the post-2030 sustainability agenda.

Higher education and science have battled for years for a seat at the sustainable development table, arguing that they educate tomorrow’s leaders – who many universities are imbuing with sustainability knowledge and skills – and also produce much of the research, innovation and analysis that generate solutions for sustainability challenges.

The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2025) was held from 14 to 23 July, under the theme “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind”.

The University of Ghana (UG) has secured an approximated $23 million from 24 grant agreements signed through the University’s Research and Innovation Directorate, with an expected overheads of over $2 million, the Vice Chancelor has said.

According to Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the grants secured underscored the trust that global partners have in the works of UG, alongside the excellent work being done by the university’s academic community.

The Vice Chancellor was speaking at the 2025 graduation ceremony held by the university in Accra in separate batches from last Thursday to Saturday (July 24 - 26, 2025). She said the university has been ranked as the best in Ghana and the second-best in the West-African sub-region in the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2025, and placed 187 globally.

Ghana is reforming its education curriculum to meet current global trends and drive economic growth, the Deputy Education Minister, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, has told participants at Japan Expo 2025.

Delivering remarks at the international exhibition, the deputy minister revealed that the government was building a strong foundation on which Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), would flourish.

He observed that the government's commitment was rooted in Sustainable Development Goal Four (SDG4), which was focused on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. "Our government, the NDC government, recognises that STEM and TVET are essential to driving innovation, fostering economic growth, and addressing the complex challenges of the 24th century.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has asserted that the government will not relent in its sweeping reforms to deliver accessible, relevant, and quality education for all learners, stating that Kenya has come too far to reverse the gains achieved over the past two decades.

In a statement , the Deputy President outlined milestones achieved in just two years, saying they have cemented the foundation for a transformed education system that meets the needs of the 21st-century learner. "Kenya has come too far.The incredible gains of the last 22 years' transformation of the education system are irreversible,"Kindiki stated.

He noted the government's most significant achievements in addressing the longstanding challenges in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which has evolved into a broader framework under Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET). "The problematic aspects of the Competency-Based Curriculum are now satisfactorily resolved," he said.

A Professor of Science and Technology Education at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Chibuogwu Virginia Nnaka, has emphasised that professional teacher education is central to dismantling systemic gender barriers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers.

Professor Nnaka, a renowned advocate for gender equity in science and technology, made the assertion while delivering the university’s 34th Inaugural Lecture, titled “Professional Teacher Education: A Catalyst for Widening the Gateway to Gender Equity in STEM Education and Careers”. The lecture took place at NOUN’s headquarters in Abuja.

Addressing a gathering of academics, policymakers, and stakeholders in education, Nnaka argued that achieving gender equity in STEM must be the result of deliberate, strategic, and policy-driven interventions, rather than mere coincidence.

The expansion of higher education in Ethiopia resulted in a significant increase in bachelor, masters and doctoral degree programmes. In principle, like many institutions worldwide, Ethiopian universities are expected to develop academic programmes that respond to national priorities, societal challenges, and global developments.

Higher education is envisioned as a driver of development, a mechanism to supply the skills, knowledge and innovations needed to address the country’s pressing needs. But, in practice, the situation is far more complex and increasingly problematic.

Over the past decade in Ethiopia, graduate employability has been a major focus in higher education and other national policy documents. This emphasis has significantly shaped discussions around higher education and influenced the design of academic programmes.

Africa’s ability to achieve a fair and inclusive shift to a green economy hinges not only on political will and international financing but also on the active role of higher education and research institutions. A new academic study stresses that universities must be charged with being the architects and not passive observers of a just transition grounded in African realities.

Through curriculum innovation, climate-focused training and interdisciplinary research, African universities can contribute to skilling a new generation of green professionals and policy-makers. This is one of the key insights of ‘Examining Multifaceted Constraints to Just Transitioning Agenda in Africa: Integrating Sustainable Social and Economic Perspectives into Policy Framework’, a paper published recently in International Environmental Agreements: Politics, law and economics (Springer Nature).

The study, authored by Dr Richard Kwame Adom, Paul Mukoki, Dr Nomhle Ngwenya, and Professor Mulala Simatele, all from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, explores the deep-rooted socio-economic, environmental, and political barriers slowing down Africa’s just transition ambitions.

Côte d’Ivoire wants to modernise its technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programme through changes such as extending bachelor degree courses to also train senior technicians. It is part of a plan to improve students’ prospects in technical education with the aim of training one million young people by 2030.

Aspects of the plan were highlighted by Simplice-Honoré Gah, the coordinating inspector-general in charge of administration and student affairs at Côte d’Ivoire’s General Inspectorate of Technical Education and Vocational Training.

He spoke at the Youth Employment and Skills Pan-Africa Coalition for Transformation learning series workshop in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, recently, which was organised by the African Centre for Economic Transformation.

Secondary school head teachers across the country say they are preparing to recruit new teachers while also reviewing their existing staff needs as they adapt to the newly introduced learning pathways set to begin in September, when the academic year kicks off.

The Ministry of Education announced the reforms on June 20, introducing three distinct pathways: Mathematics and Science, Languages, and Arts and Humanities. These will replace traditional subject combinations like Mathematics-Chemistry-Biology (MCB), History-Geography-Literature (HGL), and Literature-French-Kinyarwanda (LFK).

The Arts and Humanities pathway will include fields such as education, law, psychology, and philosophy. The Languages pathway will focus on careers in communication, diplomacy, translation, and anthropology, according to the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB).