Ministers responsible for Higher Education from the eight East African Community (EAC) Partner States have reaffirmed their commitment to fully operationalising the East African Community Common Higher Education Area (EACHEA) by 2030.
Meeting in Kampala for the 1st Regional Ministerial Conference on the EACHEA, representatives from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda pledged to accelerate harmonisation of higher education systems in order to boost academic excellence, knowledge mobility, and regional integration.
The three-day conference, held under the theme “Enhancing Regional Integration through Harmonised Higher Education Systems for Sustainable Development in East Africa”, brought together ministers, national education agencies, university leaders, student representatives, industry players, and development partners.
In their communiqué, the ministers resolved to align national policies, legislation, and accreditation systems with regional frameworks such as the East African Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (EAQFHE), the Regional Quality Assurance Framework (RQAF), the EAC Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (EAC-CATS), and the Research Excellence Framework (REFHE-EA).
They also committed to enhance mutual recognition of academic and professional qualifications by 2027, opening pathways for seamless mobility of students, staff, and professionals across the region.
Key challenges identified include disparities in regulatory frameworks, inadequate financing, limited infrastructure in science and technology fields, digital gaps, and barriers to student mobility such as visa fees and inconsistent tuition policies.
To address these, ministers pledged to mobilise sustainable financing, strengthen digital learning, expand joint academic programmes, and implement the directive that EAC students pay the same tuition fees as nationals in local currency.
The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) and national higher education commissions were tasked with fast-tracking implementation, monitoring compliance, and maintaining a regional database of accredited institutions.
Development partners were urged to align their investments with EAC priorities, focusing on digital transformation, research, and infrastructure.
The ministers further agreed that the Regional Ministerial Conference on the EACHEA will be held every two years, with Rwanda set to host the next conference in 2027.
In closing, the ministers expressed appreciation to the Government and people of Uganda for their hospitality, and to IUCEA and other stakeholders for their leadership in organising what they described as a “historic” milestone for East African higher education.