KIGALI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- An initiative aimed at mobilizing African leaders and societies to invest heavily and consistently in the continent's tertiary education was Thursday unveiled in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.
Dubbed the "Kigali Initiative", this is one of the outcomes of the two-day conference on tertiary education which closed on Thursday.
Under the initiative, a network of vice chancellors of African universities will be created to mobilize African intellectuals, business leaders and the diaspora to support the initiative and contribute to its success.
"The aim is to achieve at least 25 African universities within the top 300 universities worldwide by 2030 based on international rankings and evaluations that are relevant for Africa's need," Belay Begashaw, director general of Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa (SDGC/A), said at the closing ceremony of the forum.
"We also want to prepare a roadmap for action with a potential for including a proposal for funding by the end of 2017 to be adopted by a network of vice chancellors and to be presented to the leadership of the African Union," he said.
The conference concluded with a pledge to seek sustainable solutions to the continent's higher education challenges.
The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa (SDGC/A) organized conference is entitled: "Mobilizing African Intellectuals Towards Quality Tertiary Education."
It drew academics from various countries in Africa and beyond to explore ways of improving the quality of tertiary education on the continent.
