By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has endorsed the African Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ASG-QA) and trained 60 staff to strengthen regulatory capacity.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, approved the training as part of efforts to enhance staff development and align operations with continental standards.
The ASG-QA is a framework developed under the Harmonised Africa Quality Assurance Agencies initiative to harmonise quality assurance across African universities.
It promotes internal assessment, external reviews and institutional accreditation, ensuring a unified approach to higher education quality across the continent.
Participants were drawn from the Directorates of Academic Planning, Accreditation, and Open, Distance and e-Learning of the commission.
The one-day training was facilitated by Dr Joseph Bisong, Project Coordinator of the HAQAA3 Dissemination Initiative in Nigeria.
Declaring the workshop open, Ribadu, represented by Dr Funmilayo Morebise,
Director of Open, Distance/e-Learning,
urged participants to maximise the opportunity to strengthen regulatory effectiveness.
She commended international partners, including European Union, African Union and German Academic Exchange Service, for promoting quality standards in African higher education.
Ribadu reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to advancing quality assurance and strengthening interconnectedness within Africa’s higher education system.
In his remarks, the Director of Accreditation, Mr Abraham Chundusu, commended the facilitator for sharing technical expertise with staff.
Bisong, in a keynote, highlighted the three components of ASG-QA: internal quality assurance, external quality assurance, and review of national quality assurance agencies.
He said effective domestication of the framework would reposition Nigeria’s university system through improved standards and stronger alignment with labour market needs.
“Harmonisation of higher education seeks a shared view on quality criteria and comparable standards for assessing institutions,” he said.
Bisong, who is also the
Deputy Director, Head, Open and Distance Learning Division, NUC, noted that Nigeria, in spite of having Africa’s largest university system, faced challenges due to limited harmonisation and coordination.
He identified gaps including input-based education, weak stakeholder engagement, poor academic mobility and inadequate credit transfer systems.
The expert also stressed the need for improved transparency in accreditation processes and stronger student participation in quality assurance mechanisms.
He urged stakeholders to integrate ASG-QA into national regulations, strengthen institutional autonomy and expand digital accreditation platforms.
Participants recommended expanding the training to all staff, increasing student involvement in curriculum development and improving funding for quality assurance units.
They also called for external review of the commission in line with the Pan-African Quality Assurance and Accreditation Framework.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Muhyideen Jimoh
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