Professor Colin Riordan CBE
ACU Secretary General and Chief Executive
By any standard, 2025 has been an extraordinary year for the Association of Commonwealth Universities, as indeed it has for the world. I’ve been struck by the resilience our members have shown in the face of a dramatic realignment of international alliances, a major downturn in funding for international development and continued headwinds for universities across the Commonwealth. I am pleased that so many of our members have taken advantage of the opportunity to work together to meet these challenges with the support of the wider Commonwealth. We worked hard to ensure that this was a year of collaboration, renewal and opportunity for the ACU as a whole.
As a team here at the ACU, we had the privilege of visiting more than 65 ACU member campuses across the Commonwealth this year, while connecting with countless more through our virtual platform ACU Connect, and at the international gatherings that brought our community together. Wherever we travelled – from small island nations to global capitals – we witnessed the same powerful truth: that collaboration in higher education remains one of the most transformative forces for a fairer, more sustainable world.
I write just after returning from ACU Congress in Nairobi, Kenya, the first time that our flagship in-person event has been held since 2016. With a remarkable roster of speakers and closed-door discussions that allowed open and frank engagement, the Congress convened 70 university leaders from 20 Commonwealth countries. The insights gathered there will shape our policy work ahead of the major Commonwealth ministerial meetings next year, including CHOGM in November 2026. If you would like a deeper dive into the central themes of the week, University World News has published an excellent write-up.
This year was also a moment of strategic renewal for the ACU. June saw the launch of our refreshed Road to 2030 strategy, a bold and ambitious commitment to strengthening Commonwealth universities, to driving sustainable development and to connecting leaders who share a passion for the common good. More than a strategic route-map, it is a collective promise of what global higher education can achieve when we work together.
We have continued to ensure that the voice of higher education is heard where decisions that shape our future are made: in ministerial discussions, international policy arenas and leading forums worldwide. Our research with London Economics this year offered fresh evidence of the lasting economic benefit of investing in universities, reinforcing something we already know to be true: that supporting higher education is investing in national and global prosperity.
Our own scholarship programmes and those we host – from Commonwealth and Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships to the Ocean Country Partnership Programme and the King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme – continue to open life-changing opportunities for individuals who will innovate, lead and inspire their communities. Marking the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s 65th anniversary was a particularly meaningful milestone in a long history of nurturing talent across borders.
Looking ahead, 2026 promises to be a landmark year for the Commonwealth. We eagerly anticipate the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, UK, in July, followed in November by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda. These two prominent Commonwealth occasions will once again highlight the shared heritage and shared future that unite us.
These notes reflect only a handful of my personal highlights. You can explore many more in our Highlights Report 2024–25. For now, let me offer my sincere thanks for your partnership and support throughout this year.
Wishing you a peaceful and restorative festive season, and every success in 2026.