The journey to transform African education research commences on Thursday, February 19, with the launch of Harnessing Education Research for Impact in Africa (HERI Africa) at Kisii University in Kenya.

The highly anticipated launch will bring together government, higher education institution leaders, civil society, development partners and research organisations to strengthen the role of research in shaping policy, innovation and socio-economic progress across Africa.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Hon Julius Ogamba, will attend the event alongside other dignitaries from the Ministry of Education, the Commission for University Education, and partner institutions from across Africa.

The launch comes at a time when research findings indicate that Africa currently contributes only about three per cent of global education research output, yet it bears a significant share of the global education burden. HERI Africa seeks to change this trajectory by strengthening university-based research to increase Africa’s contribution to global education research to 30 per cent by 2050.

HERI Africa addresses long-standing challenges in Africa’s education research ecosystem, including low productivity, limited funding, and weak uptake of evidence. By tackling these issues, the initiative aims to transform research into actionable knowledge that shapes policies and improves lives across the continent.