Reimagining partnerships: An intellectual encounter between African university leadership and global higher education research

A senior leadership delegation from the University of Johannesburg joined colleagues at the Department for a day of discussion on pan-African collaboration, equitable partnerships, digital inclusion and the future of African higher education.

On 28 July 2026, the Department welcomed a senior leadership delegation from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), including its Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Executive Deans and senior professional services leaders. Hosted by the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE), the visit brought university leaders and researchers together to explore how international partnerships can widen access, strengthen African knowledge production and create meaningful opportunities for students and scholars.

The event built on an established partnership between CGHE and UJ’s Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies, while opening conversations about deepening connections between the two institutions. Professor Steve Puttick, Deputy Director of Research at the Department, opened the event and welcomed guests from South Africa and colleagues from Oxford and beyond. Introducing CGHE’s work, Professor David Mills, CGHE Director, situated the day’s dialogue within wider debates around reimagining African higher education and global research collaboration.

From institutional links to shared agendas

“Who does Africa’s ‘village’ of higher education actually include, and who does it still leave outside the gate?” Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UJ, invited reflections on this important question through his public lecture, Enhancing pan-African collaboration: Strategies for access, digital inclusion, and student success in higher education.

Against the backdrop of Africa’s rapidly growing youth population and high youth unemployment, he argued that widening meaningful access is among the most urgent challenges facing the continent’s universities. Access cannot be measured by admission alone, he emphasized. It also depends on whether students can participate fully, develop a sense of belonging, and receive the support needed to complete their studies successfully. From this perspective, access is not a one-off achievement but an ongoing responsibility that institutions must continue to sustain.

“A student who feels invisible to their university, however capable, is a student at elevated risk of leaving it. For online and hybrid learners in particular, many of them first-generation students, this sense of belonging cannot be assumed.”

Drawing on UJ’s experience, Professor Mpedi discussed UJ Digital, the University’s fully online learning platform, which enrolled more than 20,000 learners in its first year. He emphasized the significance of digital transformation to student success and the potential of online provision to reach learners whose work, family responsibilities, location or other circumstances make conventional campus-based study difficult. He also cautioned against understanding digital inclusion simply as offering connectivity or devices. If technology is to widen opportunity rather than reproduce existing inequalities, universities must systematically rethink teaching, assessment and student support.

Connecting these priorities to a broader vision of pan-African partnership, Professor Mpedi suggested that collaboration should move beyond bilateral institutional links towards shared approaches to common challenges, through initiatives including joint research, university-industry engagements, student and staff exchanges, dual-degree programs and collaborative models of teaching. What underpins pan-African collaboration, he stressed, is the importance of strengthening African knowledge production and recognizing societal impact as a core measure of academic excellence.

Building equitable and future-facing partnerships

The other speakers extended this vision from different institutional and geopolitical perspectives. Professor Kevin Marsh, Director of the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx), reflected on ten years of building equitable partnerships between Oxford and African institutions. He outlined an Oxford-wide ecosystem spanning education, research, innovation and network-building. AfOx’s Catalyst Grants, visiting fellowships, graduate scholarships and innovation programs illustrated how partnerships can be supported through sustained investment in people, ideas and institutional relationships.

The event also featured Professor Juliet Thondhlana and Professor Tingting Yuan from the University of Nottingham, representing the Association of African Universities (AAU) Europe Regional Office. While Professor Thondhlana discussed the African Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations and conditions required to build and maintain effective partnerships, Professor Yuan extended the conversations towards China-Africa educational partnerships, raising questions about how shifting internationalization may contribute to the transformation of African higher education.

These contributions together carried into the plenary discussion and informal engagements throughout the day. The encounter between university leadership and higher education researchers created a productive space, not only to share existing initiatives, but also to explore critical reflections and future areas of collaboration.

Future paths

The visit concluded with a shared commitment to sustaining the momentum generated from the gathering. In his letter of appreciation, Professor Mpedi envisioned the growing partnership with CGHE as holding significant promise for fulfilling universities’ broader responsibility to “work across borders, drawing on diverse perspectives and complementary strengths to advance knowledge, foster innovation, and contribute to sustainable development”.

For CGHE and the Department, the visit provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen relationships with Global South partners and build a foundation for deeper collaboration. It also offered a timely reminder that equitable international partnerships are built not only through institutional agreements, but through shared agendas, long-term relationships, and a commitment to turning dialogue into opportunities for university students, scholars, and wider society.

The full programme and a recording of Professor Mpedi’s public lecture are available on the CGHE website.

CGHE Director David Mills with Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UJ Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi

Written by doctoral student Zhongyu Wang