- Malaysia and Kenya to jointly launch the first African edition of the Malaysia-Africa Higher Education Forum (MAHEF 2025) in Nairobi on November 24
- Event draws 400+ participants to deepen collaboration in research, curriculum development, student mobility and institutional partnerships between Africa and Malaysia
- Forum expected to catalyze new bilateral education partnerships and strengthen Malaysia’s global education outreach while supporting Kenya’s ambition as an East African education hub
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Kenya’s Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba will officially launch the first African edition of the Malaysia-Africa Higher Education Forum 2025, MAHEF 2025, in Nairobi on Monday, 24 November. The forum, being held in Kenya's capital, represents a significant strategic outreach by Malaysia into higher education and research collaboration with African nations.
The event drew the interest of more than 400 participants, including delegates from academic institutions, higher-education policy makers, student recruiters and education-industry stakeholders across both continents. Kenya has become a source market for Malaysian universities, with Malaysia seen as offering affordable but high-quality education with scholarship opportunities and thus becoming increasingly popular among international students.
The forum, organized by Education Malaysia Global Services, or EMGS, will be combined with a 'Study in Malaysia' education fair and a counsellor workshop to strengthen recruitment ties with Malaysia, showcase Malaysian academic offerings, and promote cross-border student mobility. These initiatives are part of the broader Malaysian strategy of deepening its engagement in the global education sector to increase its footprint in Africa.
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For Kenya, hosting this forum underpins its ambition to be an education hub in East Africa and to strengthen its institutional partnerships globally. The presence of the Malaysian prime minister and Kenyan education minister at the forum highlights not only the high-level political backing for the initiative but also shared interest in forging long-term links in research, curriculum development, student exchange, and institutional collaboration.
Though specific commitments and memorandum-of-understanding outcomes of the event have not yet been publicly detailed, the stakeholders do anticipate that the forum would catalyze new bilateral partnerships, drive flows in student recruitment, and facilitate capacity-building in areas such as academic governance, curriculum innovation, and quality assurance.
Malaysia's already internationally positioned education sector regards the African continent as a strategic growth region, while Kenya gains access to new pathways and networks for academic collaboration.
By convening in Nairobi, the Malaysia-Africa Higher Education Forum lays the foundation for deepened cooperation in higher education between Malaysia and African states, leveraging Malaysia's established education infrastructure and Kenya's regional connectivity. With both education ministers in attendance, the platform is poised to set the tone for future initiatives aimed at advancing academic mobility, institutional linkages, and shared research agendas between Asia and Africa.
