Press Release

For Immediate Release
PROF KETO MSHIGENI  RECEIVES AAU’S AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION EXCELLENCE AWARD

Prof Keto Elitabu Mshigeni has been  designated as the recipient of the African Higher Education Excellence Award (AHEEA) 2009 by the Association of African Universities (AAU).   The Award, which is the first ever organised by the AAU,  recognises the distinguished contribution of an African academic to higher education and research in Africa through  outstanding research, teaching, social responsiveness, and innovative leadership. . In addition, the Award aims to revitalise the African academy  and to raise levels of public awareness that will see a higher level of involvement in higher education by civil society, the public sector, and the emergent African private sector.

To be eligible for the award, a candidate must be a citizen of an African country; in active service or have served in an African institution of higher education and/or research institution; recognized for the breadth, originality, and diversity of scholarly publications, especially peer reviewed journal articles and books, or production in the arts; widely acknowledged for innovative leadership and distinctive contributions in institution building; and recognized for outstanding public service outside of his/her normal calling within the academic institution and beyond his/her country; and have a sound record of ethical conduct and professional integrity.

An independent and distinguished panel of judges appointed by the AAU met in Accra  in April 2009 to compile the nominations, assess all candidates, and make appropriate recommendations to the AAU Secretary General and  Executive Board,  following which Prof.   Keto Mshigeni was selected. The AAU laureate will receive a certificate, a plaque and funding to visit one or more universities relevant to his area of expertise.
Prof Mshigeni is a distinguished Tanzanian academic, who served for several years as Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Namibia. His outstanding research work on seaweeds, mushrooms, medicinal plants and Zero Emission and Zero Waste (ZERI) is well-known throughout Africa and also in other parts of the world. He is currently Vice-Chancellor of Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, a private medical university in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania.

The financial contribution of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA), whose secretariat is based at New York University, US, and the African Development Bank, towards the 2009 Award is gratefully acknowledged.

The AAU plans to make the Award every two years.

The Association of African Universities

The Association of African Universities (AAU) is an international non governmental organisation set up in November 1967 by universities in Africa to promote cooperation among themselves and between them and the international academic community. With a current membership of 213 higher education and research institutions, drawn from 45 countries in Africa, the AAU aspires to be the voice of the African higher education community.

More specifically, the Mission of the AAU is to raise the quality of higher education in Africa and strengthen its contribution to African development by fostering cooperation and collaboration among its member institutions: providing support to their core functions of teaching, learning, research and community engagement; and facilitating critical reflection on, and consensus-building around, issues affecting higher education and the development of Africa.

More information on the AHEEA can be found  http://www.aau.org/aheea, or contact

Association of African Universities
P.O. Box AN 5744
Accra, GHANA
Tel: +233-21-761588/774495
Fax: +233-21-774821
Email: info@aau.org