Malaysian Premier Datuk, Education CS Migos to grace the Malaysia–Africa Higher Education Forum in Nairobi

By Eunice WAWUDA

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Kenya’s current Cabinet Secretary for Education is Julius Migos Ogamba, will on Monday, November 24, preside over the Malaysia–Africa Higher Education Forum 2025 (MAHEF2025–Africa), in Nairobi, marking an inaugural edition for the Africa region.

Themed “Intensifying Internationalization in the Context of the Global South Agenda,” the forum being held in Nairobi, seeks to strengthen higher education cooperation, expand research collaboration, and advance talent mobility across Malaysia and participating African countries.

Speaking during the opening session on Sunday, Datuk Anesee bin Ibrahim, the Secretary General of the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, noted that the forum has attracted more than 400 visitors and participants, representing one of Malaysia’s most significant higher education outreach initiatives in Africa.

This comes as the Southeast Asia nation continues to transform into a major education destination for international students, with Kenyan learners now taking note of its education system.

The two–day event, which began on Sunday, November 23, is being hosted by the Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), with the support of the High Commission of Malaysia in Kenya, with the Study in Malaysia Education Fair & Counsellor Workshop Kenya 2025 taking place today, in partnership with the Malaysia-Africa Higher Education Forum (MAHEF 2025).

Several Malaysian Universities, both private and public ones, are taking part in the forum, including Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA), University of Reading Malaysia (UoRM), University of Southampton Malaysia (UoSM), Raffles University, Asia School of Business (ASB), MAHSA University, Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), and the Multimedia University (MMU).

“This initiative not only seeks to strengthen Malaysia’s brand presence as a rising global education hub, but its intention is also to showcase our products to the world in terms of our academic offerings, career pathways, affordability, multicultural environment, and global recognition,” said the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EMGS, Novie Tajuddin, at the Nairobi fair, adding that the both the fair and forum will also reinforce Malaysia’s ongoing commitment to fostering academic collaboration, talent development, and student mobility between both nations.

Indeed, available figures show that Kenyan students are increasingly moving to Malaysia for higher education due to factors like affordable tuition and living costs, high-quality and internationally-ranked universities, and government-backed scholarship opportunities.

Similarly, the Malaysian government’s strategic push to attract international students, along with the country’s streamlined immigration processes, further enhances its appeal for African learners keen to achieve both undergraduate and post–graduate studies.