Programme: Friday 28 November
Programme: day three
Location: University of Nairobi Towers, University Way
|
Time |
Session |
Topic, speakers, further information |
|---|---|---|
|
8:30 - 9:00 |
Breakfast and networking |
Venue opens for the day with exhibition stands and networking. Refreshments will be available upon arrival. |
|
9:00 - 9:10 |
Brief welcome and introduction of the day |
Speaker: Professor Colin Riordan, ACU Chief Executive and Secretary General
|
|
9:10 - 10:30 |
Plenary panel session |
Innovation, research and development: driving university impact in a changing world
Innovation is at the heart of how universities shape the future — whether through cutting-edge research, technology transfer, or partnerships that transform knowledge into impact. This session brings together global leaders to explore how higher education can build thriving innovation ecosystems, balance commercialisation with social good, and respond to pressing global challenges.
The panel will include leading voices offering alternative perspectives, including from Africa and the global innovation start-up scene, to challenge assumptions and spark debate on how universities across the Commonwealth can future-proof their research and development strategies. Participants will leave with fresh ideas, comparative insights, and practical lessons to apply within their own institutions.
Speakers:
Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Chief of Staff and Director of Cabinet of the President of the African Development Bank and Special Advisor to the President on Industrialisation
Professor Soumitra Dutta, University of Oxford, Chair of Board of Business School Network and Co-Chair of the Global Future Council on Innovation Ecosystems for the World Economic Forum
Samantha Cohen OBE, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) |
|
10:30 - 11:00 |
Morning networking break |
Refreshments available |
|
11:00 - 12:30 |
Moderated closed door roundtable discussion
|
Indigenising research: shared lessons from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India
This plenary brings together leading voices from across the Commonwealth to explore how indigenous knowledge systems are reshaping research and teaching in universities. Speakers will share lessons from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India on approaches to embedding indigenous perspectives, advancing equity, and strengthening institutional accountability to local communities. The session will ask what universities across the Commonwealth can learn from these examples, and how leaders can champion more inclusive research practices that bridge traditional knowledge and contemporary scholarship.
The panel will offer practical insights and strategic provocations for vice-chancellors and senior leaders seeking to advance decolonisation and indigenous engagement within their institutions. |
|
11:00 - 12:30 |
Moderated closed door roundtable discussion |
Fostering sustainable and inclusive research ecosystems
This session will explore how Commonwealth universities can build and sustain inclusive, interdisciplinary research ecosystems that contribute to global health, security, and wellbeing. In the face of intersecting challenges such as pandemics, climate change, food and water insecurity, and economic instability, how can universities strengthen their research capacity, funding frameworks, and collaborative networks?
The session will consider how diverse institutions can play a leading role in shaping resilient, locally grounded yet globally connected research agendas - supporting both policy and practice. Framed within a broader discussion on ecosystem development, the session will also draw on thematic expertise in areas such as disease resilience, water security, and sustainable food systems.
Speaker: Dr Fiona Wanjiku Moejes, Mawazo Institute, Mawimbi Ocean Innovations
|
|
11:00 - 12:30 |
ACU Ambassadors session |
Community outreach and social mission in Commonwealth universities
Showcasing innovative community engagement models from across the Commonwealth and their role in social development. |
|
12:30 - 13:30 |
Lunch and networking |
|
|
13:30 - 14:30 |
Keynote speakers |
Jobs, skills and innovation: shaping education for tomorrow’s workforce
Professor Barney Glover AO, Commissioner of Jobs and Skills Australia: 'Tertiary education reform in Australia and the role of Jobs and Skills Australia'
Jennifer Flanagan, Co-founder and CEO of Actua |
|
14:30 - 15:00 |
Refreshments and networking |
|
|
15:00 - 16:30 |
Final key plenary session |
Focus on Africa and what’s next for Africa?
Speakers:
Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, Senior economic advisor at the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative (AEDPI)
Professor Olusola Oyewole, Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU)
Louise Haxthausen, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi |
|
16:30 |
Closing remarks |
Professor Colin Riordan, ACU Chief Executive and Secretary General |
|
17:00 |
Congress closes |