The first agency reviews under the Pan-African Quality Assurance and Accreditation framework are now underway across Africa.
These site visits bring together African experts trained through HAQAA3, including student experts, who work alongside national quality assurance agencies to carry out peer review processes based on the African Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ASG-QA).

The reviews are African-led  coordinated by a technical unit based at the Association of African Universities and grounded in collaboration. Expert panels engage directly with national quality assurance agencies to assess practices, identify areas for improvement and exchange experience. The process contributes to strengthening external quality assurance systems while building a shared understanding across countries.

A key dimension of this phase is capacity building. Through HAQAA3, a continental pool of experts has been trained and is now actively engaged in the implementation of agency reviews. Knowledge transfer among partners, including ENQA, AAU and other strategic partners such as CAMES, IUCEA and SARUA, continues to support this process, ensuring both technical robustness and regional ownership.

As highlighted in recent reflections on the establishment of the PAQAA Interim Technical Unit, this work is part of a broader shift from vision to operational reality. The ongoing reviews are contributing to laying the foundations for the Pan-African Quality Assurance Alliance (PAQAA), as a continental structure that is being built through practice.

Further updates from the field will be shared as the agency reviews continue across the continent during 2026. These are the first agency reviews carried out under the 2025–2026 cycle, following two complete evaluations with compliance conclusions in 2024–2025, and building on pilot exercises conducted under HAQAA1 and HAQAA2.