Prof Sarah Hayes and Prof Linda la Velle from School of Education at Bath Spa University were invited to travel to WITS (Witwatersrand) University in South Africa to co-convene sessions at an AFRETEC Symposium leading to a co-edited Springer book.

The visit between 31 August and 3 September 2026 by Sarah and Linda provided BSU support for a symposium at WITS, led by Dr Rodney Genga and Dr Kershree Padayachee. The Mastercard funded AFRETEC partners from 10 universities across nine African countries, Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa gathered to share their findings.

The intention was to bring all of the insights from the AFRETEC Network together into a co-edited book through active dialogic sessions to shape the chapters. AFRETEC provides a uniquely collaborative platform through which universities work together to strengthen higher education across the African continent. The co-edited Springer book Reimagining Learning and Teaching in African Higher Education: Postdigital Transformation, Inclusion and the Future of Learning will lead to considerable impact as, rather than approaching digital transformation principally as a technological process, the volume examines the interconnected relationships between technology, pedagogy, student voices, educators, institutions, the wider educational ecosystem and, importantly, industry.

This is particularly relevant now when African higher education is entering a period of profound transformation. Rapid developments in digital technologies, artificial intelligence, automation and data driven systems are changing how knowledge is produced, accessed and applied, while simultaneously reshaping the competencies expected of university graduates for their future careers. For African universities, the challenge is not simply whether digital technologies should be incorporated into learning and teaching, but how higher education can be transformed in ways that are pedagogically meaningful, contextually relevant, inclusive and responsive to the future needs of the continent.

The Springer book proposal has been submitted to the Postdigital Science and Education book series. It will now be taken forward to be co-edited by Rodney Genga, Kershree Padayachee, Sarah Hayes and Linda la Velle.

By Prof Sarah Hayes