Our Africa edition, University World News – Africa, was launched on 30 March 2008. In this Special Report, which marks its 10th anniversary, we look back at some of the key developments in the sector over the past 10 years, as well as some of the challenges that still lie ahead.

A new book, Castells in Africa: Universities and Development, published late last year by open-access publisher African Minds, showcases the contribution of Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells to higher education research and thinking in Africa.

The African Union Commission is working jointly with UNESCO to expedite the ratification and implementation of the Addis Convention on the recognition of academic qualifications in higher education in African states, as part of the much-awaited Pan-African Quality Assurance and Accreditation Framework.

The Inyathelo Ninth Leadership Retreat was held in South Africa recently with the theme “The Best of Times, the Worst of Times – Positioning institutional advancement in times of challenge and change”. Vice-chancellors and senior advancement officers discussed how universities might engage stakeholders in transformation, and tap deeper into growing philanthropic support to help higher education meet development goals.

The University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa hosted the 11th Annual Higher Education Conference from 27-29 September in Durban under the theme “Crises, Contestations, Contemplations and Futures”, expanding its focus this year to include discussions on matters such as governance and leadership in higher education, and possible funding models.

African scholarly publishers based in South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon and Uganda, as well as the global book distributor African Books Collective, met in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently to discuss the challenges they face and opportunities to strengthen monograph publishing through collaboration. This Special Report kicks off a new African Scholarly Publishing section that will run regular articles on developments in the academic book and journal publishing sector on the continent.

The Alliance for African Partnership is a new initiative of Michigan State University or MSU, which aims to support sustainable, effective and equitable long-term partnerships among African organisations, MSU and other international organisations. The launch took place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 18-20 July, featured prominent African leaders from higher education, research institutes and other sectors, and focused on the theme of “Putting vision into action together”.