ANIE Activities
Research, advocacy and capacity building — the three pillars through which ANIE advances the international dimension of higher education in Africa.
Research
Research is one of ANIE's core activities. ANIE's research focuses on improving the understanding of the international dimension of higher education through the development and implementation of innovative research programs to address the key challenges and benefits of internationalization to Africa. The research priorities respond to needs identified by African higher education institutions, countries and regional bodies or frameworks. Within each theme or research area, we particularly focus on areas where there are considerable knowledge gaps and where our current strengths hold the greatest potential.
Leading our flagship study
Ongoing projects
ANIE's current portfolio of EU-funded and multi-partner projects strengthening internationalisation across African higher education.
Completed projects
Advocacy
ANIE acts as the voice of researchers and practitioners on the international dimension of higher education in Africa. It develops and elaborates declarations and policy statements on internationalization of higher education in Africa addressed to higher education institutions, research organizations, higher education organizations and other related agencies.
Capacity Building
Building, strengthening and sustaining Africa's capacity on the international dimension of higher education is another key objective of ANIE. One of the ways this is addressed is through the Network of Emerging Scholars on Internationalization (NESI), a Special Interest Group (SIG) of ANIE with the broad aim of developing capacity for research for a better understanding of the different dimensions, rationales and implications of internationalization in Africa.
The importance of capacity building for research became clear based on the lack of African academics with strong expertise and experience in the internationalization of higher education. ANIE finds it imperative to respond to this by developing research capacity through young, interested and promising African scholars. NESI is ANIE's main tool for developing capacity for research in internationalization of higher education, and in September 2009 the first NESI Capacity Building Workshop was organised at Moi University, Kenya. It helped bring out a clear understanding of the complexities of the international dimension of higher education, as well as in-depth knowledge on student mobility from a global and African perspective. As a follow-up, the 2nd NESI Workshop was held on 2nd and 3rd November 2010 in Kampala, Uganda, giving members first-hand experience on the development and utilisation of open resources for research and information sharing.
NECREDI
Network of Early Career Researchers on Digitalisation and Internationalisation
Dedicated to fostering international research collaboration in digitalization and beyond, NECREDI gives young African researchers a platform to connect, collaborate and thrive in the global academic space. It emerged from the EU-funded DigiGrad Project (2023–2026), which enhances postgraduate training and research in African universities through digitalisation and internationalisation. Its vision is to strengthen Africa's role in global research by equipping early-career researchers with the tools, partnerships and opportunities to drive innovation and address Africa's unique challenges.
Visit necredi.anienetwork.orgNIOPA
Network for International Office Practitioners in Africa
Launched during ANIE's 14th Annual Conference (9–11 October 2024, Accra, Ghana), NIOPA connects international education practitioners across Africa — the first dedicated platform of its kind on the continent. Chaired by Professor Samuel Boadi-Kusi, Dean of the Office of International Relations at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, the network works closely with university leaders, policymakers and stakeholders to advance internationalisation efforts.