Dr. Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Prof. David Malone, Rector of United Nations University (UNU), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster research and knowledge exchange on sustainable development in Africa.

According to an official statement, the MOU was signed on June 5 after the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V), which held in Yokohama, Japan, from June 1-3.

The AfDB-UNU partnership aims to strengthen collaboration between Japan and African countries to strengthen Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Africa. The AfDB and UNU will contribute to the establishment of a joint Africa–Asia strategic plan for sustainable development and a joint program of activities for capacity building in Africa.

The two institutions aim to promote knowledge transfer through a consortium of universities, the African development agency said.

At the TICAD V, a side event on the role of higher education in Africa’s sustainable development was organized by the AfDB’s Human Development Department in collaboration with UNU, the University of Tokyo, and the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Representatives from the consortium of universities exchanged their views on innovative ways to achieve sustainable development in Africa through higher education.