In June, Davis College was invited to attend The Education Collaborative’s first in-person Annual Convening since 2019, which brought together over 190 participants from across 23 countries and over 60 education institutions.

Held in Ghana, the Convening centered around the theme: Building the capacity of institutions to improve African higher-ed outcomes. The five-day program – which featured workshops, plenary sessions, an executive symposium, and a commitment summit – was structured across four tracks: Ethics and Leadership Development, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development, Career and Employability System Development, and Entrepreneurship Pedagogy.

Christine Osae, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), represented our faculty at the conference and shared the following reflections on her experience:

My key take-away from the program was learning how to embrace and train ethical leadership by giving voice to values. Mary Gentile, the author of ‘Giving Voice to Values: How To Speak Your Mind When You Know What's Right,’ challenged higher education institutions to adopt a values-driven approach that shifts the focus away from traditional philosophical reasoning to an emphasis on developing the capacity to not only tell right from wrong, but also act accordingly in the face of an ethical dilemma.
I also learned practical strategies to promote employability and provide better career services across all the six stages (recruitment, admissions, enrolment, retention, graduation and alumni) of a student’s career journey. Career services should be intentionally and strategically embedded in each of these stages. Higher educational institutions were challenged to collaborate with industries to fortify their curricula and delivery, and to develop systems that promote employability.
The key highlight of my experience at the Convening was Mary Gentile’s advice to act our way into thinking ethically, rather than thinking our way into acting ethically. I was personally challenged to avoid sitting on the sidelines afraid/uncertain of what to do, and instead to go ahead and enact my values and principles when faced with an ethical dilemma. It’s very hard to stand up against the majority or against authority in any situation, let alone an ethically charged one. It is even harder when I do not feel ethically worthy to question people about their transgressions. I learnt to start from somewhere and to take it one act at a time. I learned to get out of my head and effectively voice my values.
Overall, it was important for Davis College to be represented at the Convening because The Education Collaborative creates an ecosystem for institutions like ours to mentor each other in order to achieve extraordinary educational outcomes in career readiness and ethical leadership, along with building strong entrepreneurship ecosystems, accountability mechanisms, and sustainable systems. Ever since we joined the Collaborative, we have deepened our relationships with other universities to share our exemplar programs and to learn from them, instead of unhealthy competitions. The Education Collaborative also creates spaces that allow industry leaders to connect with university leaders to eliminate the mismatch between curriculum delivery and workforce expectations.

Benigne Isabane, Class of 2022 and President of the Student Guild Cabinet, also represented Davis College at the Convening. He participated as a volunteer, joining students from other collaborating universities in Rwanda, Niger, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Botswana and Uganda who were engaged to support the organizing team:

The EduCollab22 was a great opportunity for me to be exposed to multicultural perspectives from across the African continent as well as from around the world. Among the highlights of my experience as a student volunteer was the opportunity to represent Davis College, and the chance to exchange ideas and share learning experiences with peers from other participating institutions. I also particularly enjoyed the real‐time interaction among presenters at the Summit.
The most important thing I learned from participating is that, as students, we have a lot of skills and knowledge that could tremendously benefit our peers. It isn't just about improving the quality of life of other students like ourselves; it is also about imparting a sense of purpose to our studies and creating an environment conducive to academic excellence.
Through this experience, I also came to appreciate the importance of having a network. Not only as regards to providing support and guidance, but also seeking counsel on decisions that need to be taken. I am happy to say that I have already developed valuable relationships with individuals who will be of immense help in shaping my career.
Above all, my learning experience at the conference has reinforced my perspective about the importance of education for development. I hope to gain a better understanding of the struggles that other young people of my age across Africa face. That way, I can work with them to come up with our own solutions – rather than just relying on older generations. I also want to learn how to take into account cultural differences in my discussions with people from different parts of Africa, and hope to develop my analytical skills, ability to organize ideas, and team-building/leadership skills.
Through the EduCollab22 initiative, I aspire to work with top education professionals, who are visionaries and experts in their respective fields. This platform will provide tremendous opportunities to learn about best practices in the education sector, and also for networking with like-minded people who share the same passion for change in Africa's education systems.

From hosting 25 people in the inaugural edition in 2017 to welcoming over 300 participants in the 2022 edition, the Annual Convening continues to grow steadily in empowering institutions across Africa to engage one another on transformational and developmental focus areas to improve educational outcomes on the continent.

The Education Collaborative is a platform to facilitate the sharing of best practices in university teaching, management, and administration among institutions committed to educating ethical entrepreneurial leaders for Africa. Davis College is proud to be part of this network of institutions committed to solving Africa’s biggest challenges through education.

Collaborating to Improve African Higher-Ed Outcomes