The Upcoming event of the International University of Africa :
By Ambassador Dr. Khidir Haroun
Former Dean of Faculty of Press
The International University of Africa, in cooperation with the League of Islamic Universities, will hold a conference on ‘The Role of Universities in Reconstruction after Wars on line from January 6 to 8, 2026.
The conference aims to explore the role of universities in rebuilding and developing countries affected by wars and crises, particularly in Africa. The university has received numerous important papers and proposals from experts and academics, highlighting the importance of this topic.
As someone who has worked in diplomacy for over two decades, I have seen the impact of universities in driving progress and development in various countries. The International University of Africa has been a pioneer in this regard, with its unique approach to education and community service.
The university has students from more than 90 countries out of the world 193 countries, more scholars and experts participated by providing academic papers on how to take their countries out from the rubbles of crises and wars. As most of students are Africans and as Africa is still the richest when it comes to raw materials and minerals , it is most likely to continue becoming targeted for aggression and wars. The International University of Africa has set a good example for other universities to follow . It has established a Faculty of Agriculture and livestock farming that used to have all kinds of agricultural products as well as animals and poultry for meat , milk eggs and for fish farming that made its boarding students fed completely from university farm . The government then in recognition to that success gave the university 30 thousand acres of land western to Omdurman city for more similar farming practices for training students and enable the university to become one hundred percent self sufficient. The success was an attempt to realise the technique of development from the bottom up. I spent about two weeks in a traditional school in Aljazeera province in central Sudan where students there studied religious studies but trained to grow staple grain of sorghum. I wished at that time such indigenous way of practice could have been complemented by contemporary knowledge of computer science , foreign languages and basic mathematics. Th development in this manner could be achieved and remained as it carried the feature setting of Sudanese heritage and civilisation similar to the process taken by western education developed from Christian heritage. Great universities of today Cambridge, Harvard ,George Town and Princeton were the products of competition between Catholic and Protestant denominations. As a dean of faculty of Press I used to pass on my way to office by the Faculty of Dentistry and noticed with pleasure how children and poor families crowded there to be treated for free.
Such experiments could be a source of pride for its innovative agricultural projects, healthcare services, and community outreach programs. I hope that this conference will inspire other universities to follow suit and make a positive impact in their communities.
The International University of Africa contrary to the accusation of promoting extremism, it contributes to integration of Muslim minorities in Africa in their societies as productive members such as doctors and engineers rather than mere imams and religious leaders. That what Ugandan President Museveni said once asking the university to offer Uganda more scholarships in applied areas of knowledge.
The conference is a timely initiative, given the current challenges facing Sudan and the world. I wish the university and the organizers every success in their endeavors.”
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