Leadership academy for African universities moves toward 2027 pilot
Representatives from Catholic institutions of higher education in Africa (Hekima University College, Arrupe Jesuit University, Loyola University Congo, and Uganda Martyrs University), along with representatives from Georgetown University and Loyola Andalucía University, spent a week collaborating in Seville, southern Spain. The goal of this collaboration was to advance the design of a training program aimed at strengthening the leadership, mission, and institutional management skills of administrators at Catholic universities in Africa. The initiative is part of a broader project known as the African Capacity Building Academy.
During the working sessions, participants examined the real challenges facing Catholic institutions of higher education in Africa, particularly in areas such as university leadership, institutional sustainability, identity and mission, the development of leadership teams, and the ability to respond to shifting social and educational contexts. The sessions also allowed the group to make progress on the program's curricular structure, pedagogical model, learning pathway, and strategy for institutional implementation.
Participants also created a roadmap for further refining the program's curriculum, defining funding channels for both the program and the Academy, and completing the selection process for participants, with the goal of launching a first pilot group in the summer of 2027.
The concept of the African Capacity Building Academy continues taking shape, aimed at supporting participating institutions in strengthening their leadership, promoting training rooted in the Jesuit mission, institutional needs, and the specific challenges of the African context.
This process reinforces participating institutions' commitment to transformative, collaborative, service-oriented training capable of generating strong, sustainable institutional responses to current and future challenges.
The meeting was attended by Elias Opongo SJ, director of the Research Center at Hekima University College (Kenya); Oduor Afulo SJ, rector of Arrupe Jesuit University (Zimbabwe); Adrien Lentiampa SJ, incoming rector of Loyola University Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Ferdinand Muhigirwa SJ, outgoing rector of Loyola University Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo); John the Baptist Anyeh SJ, a socius to the President of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (Kenya); Michael Garanzini SJ, professor at Georgetown University (USA) and former secretary for higher education of the Society of Jesus; Marie G. Nakitende, dean of the Faculty of Business and Management at Uganda Martyrs University (Uganda); and David Kaulem, dean of the School of Education and Leadership at Arrupe Jesuit University (Zimbabwe). Jeanine Turner, professor in the Communication, Culture, and Technology Program at Georgetown University, also joined virtually, sharing reflections with the group on essential communication skills for leadership and how to incorporate them into the program under development.
Representing Loyola Andalucía University were Carlos Losada, president of the Loyola Andalucía University Foundation;Fabio Gómez-Estern, rector;Javier Nó, vice-rector for Teaching and Internationalization; and Ignacio Garrido, coordinator of the University's International Alliances Unit. To close the meeting, participants shared a working lunch and a Mass with Rector Fabio Gómez-Estern and members of the Board of Trustees of the Loyola Andalucía University Foundation.
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