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Kenya hosts continent’s inaugural Malaysia–Africa Higher Education Forum 2025
Malaysia, home to more than 200 recognised higher education institutions capable of enrolling international students, offers African learners a diverse and high-quality academic environment. Malaysia currently hosts more than 150,000 international students from over 180 countries.
By Phyllis KONRAD
The Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MoHE) and Kenya’s Ministry of Education, will from Novemebr 23 host the Malaysia–Africa Higher Education Forum 2025 (MAHEF2025–Africa),in Kenya, marking an inaugural edition for the Africa region.
Themed “Intensifying Internationalization in the Context of the Global South Agenda,” the forum being held Nairobi, seeks to strengthen higher education cooperation, expand research collaboration, and advance talent mobility across Malaysia and participating African countries.
Speaking ahead of the two–day event being hosted in Nairobi, the forum’s organisers further noted that MAHEF2025-Africa will have more than 400 visitors and participants, representing one of Malaysia’s most significant higher education outreach initiatives in Africa.
Indeed, the Kenyan chapter will play a crucial role as the forum is intended to be held once every two years, with each edition hosted on a rotational basis across different African countries.
It is expected that this approach will allow broader regional participation, co-hosting, and greater visibility for the initiative throughout the continent.
Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, will grace the event as its chief of guest and whose presence coincides with his Africa engagement visit, reflecting Malaysia’s strong commitment to South–South cooperation.
The Malaysian delegation will be led by YBhg. Datuk Dr. Anesee bin Ibrahim, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, and Novie Tajuddin, Chief Executive Officer of EMGS.
MAHEF2025–Africa is designed as a strategic platform for bilateral and multilateral collaboration involving senior officials, quality assurance bodies, and university leadership from participating African countries.
The medium will also strengthen Government-to-Government (G2G) and Government-to-Institution linkages, enhance University-to-University (U2U) partnerships, as well as advance Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) cooperation and expand Transnational Education (TNE) initiatives.
Others include supporting academic exchanges, joint research, and postgraduate collaboration, and promoting student and talent mobility across both regions
These engagements support Shift 7: Global Prominence under the Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education), reaffirming Malaysia’s position as a vibrant education hub in the Global South.
In conjunction with MAHEF 2025, EMGS will host several key outreach programs during the Malaysia delegation’s visit, including the Study in Malaysia Education Fair on 23rd – 24th November 2025, which will feature participation from 12 Malaysian universities, face-to-face engagement opportunities for students, parents, and institutions, and on-the-spot issuance of Conditional Offer Letters (COLs) by Malaysian institutions.