From institutionalization to appropriation of the quality approach in higher education in Gabon: analysis of the challenges at Omar Bongo University

The present reflection pursues a double ambition: to retrace the process of institutionalization of the quality approach within the Omar Bongo University (UOB) of Gabon, and then to analyze the perspectives and strategic issues underpinned by the HAQAA3 training program on Internal Quality Assurance (IQA), organized in April 2026.

An institution created on the ashes of the National University, the UOB is the matrix hub and showcase of higher education in Gabon. Like many sub-regional Higher Education and Research Institutions (EESR), it is confronted with critical vulnerabilities that slow down the development and maintenance of quality standards. Massification, academic mobility requirements, training-employment matching, the shortage of digital tools in terms of cohort monitoring, evaluation of teaching and traceability of data relating to professional integration, are all major challenges facing this historic institution. It should be noted that, for more than a decade, reflections aimed at implementing the culture of norms and standards in training have been initiated under the impetus of regional and international bodies. As an example, we can cite the resolution of the CAMES Council of Ministers of 2006, enjoining Member States to accompany the adoption of the LMD system with a national Quality Assurance policy. This strategy will be reaffirmed by the Paris recommendation at the World Conference on Higher Education organized by UNESCO in 2009, recommending the establishment of Quality Assurance mechanisms in developing countries in order to support the rise of their higher education.

Anxious to take advantage of the tools acquired during the DIES AQA training (February 2018-March 2019), the university authorities have promoted the formalization of a regulatory framework, because Quality Assurance was a major lever for the development and modernization of the UOB. After a first unsuccessful attempt – the rectoral decree No. 2119 of February 13, 2019, on the creation and operation of the Internal Quality Assurance Unit (CIAQ) was not followed by the appointment of its members -, the UOB will once again commit to the deployment of a legal system. Rectoral Decrees No. 26924 of May 6, 2024 and No. 27224 of May 13, 2024 re-establish and anchor the process of implementing the normative architecture in a sustainable manner, with respectively the refoundation of the CIAQ and the formal appointment of its members. With a view to aligning itself with the regional reference frameworks, the CIAQ-UOB carried out an activity during the period from June to September 2024 to bring the pedagogical models of the faculties into compliance, in accordance with the requirements of CAMES and the continental harmonization frameworks. In parallel with the standardization process initiated at the UOB, the dynamic of institutionalization of quality will continue two years later with the adoption of Ministerial Order No. 011 of April 21, 2026, on the organization, attribution and operation of CIAQs within all public and private EESRs in the Gabonese Republic. This decision of the supervisory authority formally enshrines the status and prerogatives of the central body of this policy : the National Agency for Quality Assurance (ANAQ).

However, despite the application of these institutional mechanisms – including the texts, the operational procedures manuals, the dedicated structure – the principles of the quality approach are struggling to impose themselves in daily pedagogical practices at the UOB. A set of converging factors can be attributed to this dissonance observed between the institutionalization process and the low dynamism in terms of appropriation of quality within the institution. Without being exhaustive, we could mention three (3) essential factors that slow down the shift from formalization to the appropriation of internal quality. The first relates to material and (infra)structural inadequacies: the absence of a fixed room dedicated to the CIAQ added to its under-equipment, constant massification of the flow of students, almost non-existence of computer equipment for students and teachers, obsolete documentary collections, etc. The second obstacle relates to the resistance of the teaching community to organizational change, the quality of the being frequently assimilated to an instrument coercive bureaucratic system likely to undermine academic freedom. The third explanation is to be found in the low rate of awareness campaigns specifically targeting teacher-researchers. This lack of communication undoubtedly hinders the full commitment of these university actors in the process of co-construction of a university resolutely committed to a process of continuous improvement.

With the HAQAA3 training, Omar Bongo University was invited to re-examine its QA framework and policy, to deconstruct its biased approach to quality in order to finally transform it into a dynamic and participatory model. To this end, actors in the field must re-examine academic governance and pedagogical evaluation in the light of the African Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ASG-QA) which represent a decisive lever for the excellence of training and the promotion of diplomas. In addition, new perspectives oriented towards emerging issues have been opened up by the HAQAA3 initiative: these include reflections on QA in the doctoral school, the ethical adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education and the development of digital education. As a result, it is now becoming urgent for the UOB to further structure and sustain its QA mechanisms. Based on these conceptual benchmarks, the institution must systematize rigorous (self-)evaluation activities and increase restitution and appropriation workshops for the benefit of Faculty Deans, Department Directors, Managers and teaching teams. Thus, with the optimization of these operational priorities, we could envisage moving from an institutional posture to an inclusive logic of compliance, thereby transforming the quality constraint into a truly shared academic value.