The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), together with the East African Higher Education Quality Assurance Network (EAQAN), held their 15th Annual Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, from 7th to 10th September 2026. This year’s edition was hosted by the Rwanda chapter in partnership with the Rwanda Higher Education Council, under the theme “Transforming Quality Assurance for Future Ready Higher Education Systems in East Africa.”
The conference brought together Heads of National Councils and Commissions, Vice Chancellors, officials of the Inter-University Council for East Africa, National Chapter Executive Committees, and quality assurance practitioners from across the East African Community, alongside development partners such as OBreal Global and UNESCO. Uganda Martyrs University was represented at the conference by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Patrick Edrin Kyamanywa, who joined fellow university heads and quality assurance leaders from the region for the four-day meeting, together with members of the Uganda Universities Quality Assurance Forum (UUQAF).
Discussions at the conference centred on strengthening quality assurance systems, regional harmonisation, mobility and recognition of qualifications, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, data-driven quality assurance, institutional capacity, and stakeholder engagement. Resolutions from the meeting called for a shift away from framework development and periodic compliance towards coordinated implementation, trusted recognition, stronger regional mobility, continuous and risk-based quality assurance, responsible AI governance, reliable institutional data, digital transformation, human-capacity development, stronger industry engagement, equitable participation, and accountable human decision-making. The overall emphasis was on translating regional and institutional commitments into operational systems, measurable outputs, and improved quality assurance outcomes.
New EAQAN Executive Committee
Every three years, an Executive Committee is elected into office at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee comprises the President, Vice President, General Secretary, Treasurer, and National Chapter Representatives from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The new Executive Committee, which will steer the network from 2026 to 2029, includes Uganda Martyrs University’s own Director of Quality Assurance, Segawa Edward Katumba, who was voted into office as the Uganda Chapter Representative on the Committee.
Nationally, Segawa Edward Katumba serves as General Secretary of the Uganda Universities Quality Assurance Forum for 2026-29, and now also as the Country Representative on the East African Higher Education Quality Assurance Network for the same period. We congratulate him on this additional responsibility and wish him the very best as he continues to promote quality in higher education — at UMU, in Uganda, and now across East Africa as a region.
About EAQAN
The East African Higher Education Quality Assurance Network (EAQAN) is a legally registered network operating under the framework of the East African Community and its member states. EAQAN brings together quality assurance practitioners from across the region, serving as a collaborative platform for promoting and strengthening higher education quality assurance in East Africa.
EAQAN operates through National Chapters in each member state to localise efforts and strengthen country-level quality assurance coordination. These include the Kenya Universities Quality Assurance Network (KUQAN), Rwanda Higher Education Quality Assurance Network (RWAQAN), Tanzanian Universities Quality Assurance Forum (TUQAF), Uganda Universities Quality Assurance Forum (UUQAF), Forum Burundais d’Assurance Qualité (FOBAQ), and the Somali Universities Quality Assurance Network (SUQAN).
Vision
An internationally recognized network of quality assurance practitioners in East Africa.
Mission
To promote, enhance and improve the quality of higher education in East Africa through the implementation of quality assurance activities.
Core Values
Commitment, Excellence, Innovations, Integrity, Quality and Transparency.
Objectives
- To foster collaboration and linkages among quality assurance practitioners within East Africa;
- To promote a culture of quality assurance in higher education in East Africa;
- To enhance the capacity of quality assurance units in higher education institutions in East Africa;
- To collaborate with quality assurance bodies regionally and internationally in capacity building;
- To promote research into the practice of quality assurance in higher education for purposes of improving the quality of higher education in Africa;
- To share quality assurance expertise and experiences within the region;
- To plan and host quality assurance conferences, symposium, workshops and such forum in the region for sharing ideas and for the dissemination of research findings and best practices;
- To train, and sustain a pool of quality assurance experts in the region.
