AES: Universities commit to a harmonized higher education system

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger aim to harmonize their higher education systems, facilitate the recognition of diplomas, and strengthen training in strategic sectors. This ambition is at the heart of the second conference of heads of higher education and research institutions of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES), which opened on October 13, 2026, in Ouagadougou.

For Burkina Faso's Minister of Higher Education, Adjima Thiombiano, the sovereignty of the confederation is also built in universities, laboratories, and research centers. He advocates for training skilled professionals capable of meeting the needs of Sahelian countries, particularly in mining, energy, health, and food sovereignty.

The work focuses on four priorities: harmonizing university systems, training specialists in strategic fields, promoting local knowledge, and pooling research resources. The objective is also to facilitate student and faculty mobility while limiting brain drain.

According to the president of Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, Professor Antoine Béré, six key documents were submitted to the participants. These documents concern, in particular, the harmonization of study programs, scientific cooperation, training in the mining and petroleum sectors, and the organization of higher education at the confederation level.

The meeting brings together experts from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Togo around a major issue: building a more coherent university space, capable of training the skills necessary for the development of the AES countries.

Djamila Kambou