The ACDE is a continental educational organisation comprising African universities and other higher education institutions, which are committed to expanding access to quality education and training through open, distance and e-learning (ODeL).
The conference commenced with a meeting of programme directors on the Wednesday, 17th August, 2022, followed by committee meetings on Thursday, 18th August, 2022 and culminate with the full board meeting on Friday, 19thAugust, 2022.
The Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of South Africa (Unisa) and incumbent Treasurer of the ACDE, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, delivered the welcome address for the conference.
On Thursday, 18th August, 2022, the Unisa hosted a gala dinner during which a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was concluded between itself and the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) as part of the 44th Board Meeting of the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE).
Signing the MOU were (front, from left) Prof Paul Henry Gundani, ZOU Vice-Chancellor, and Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor. Looking on are Unisa and ZOU representatives. Source of picture: www.unisa.ac.za
The main thrust of this bilateral agreement includes, among others, pedagogical and scientific exchange of lecturers, researchers and students (undergraduate and postgraduate), sharing teaching and training programmes, as well as collaboration in many other areas.
The agreement further makes provision for implementation mechanisms to facilitate the identification of priority areas as well as implementation of the agreement itself.
The Provost of the College of Education University of Ghana, Prof. Samuel Nii A. Codjoe and Prof. Puleng LenkaBula, Vice Chancellor and Principal of UNISA and Treasurer of ACDE.
Prof. Codjoe also visited the Mechanical Engineering department of UNISA where a prototype of a solar powered car was on display.
Story by Dr. Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto