Strengthening synergies under the Youth Mobility Flagship: HAQAA and MOBAF meet in Brussels

Brussels hosted the 2026 Kick-off Meeting of the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme (MOBAF), bringing together a wide range of higher education stakeholders working on mobility across the continent. A total of 74 universities from 21 projects, representing 30 African countries, participated in the event, alongside 21 HEI technical partners from 12 EU Member States.

The meeting was organised in the framework of the Youth Mobility for Africa Flagship under the Global Gateway strategy, which includes both the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme (MOBAF) and HAQAA as complementary initiatives. As implementing partners of HAQAA3, Obreal and the Association of African Universities (AAU) actively contributed to the discussions, working in close collaboration with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), DG INTPA and DG EAC.

The event provided a key platform to strengthen synergies between mobility and recognition, highlighting the importance of ensuring that student mobility is supported by effective and transparent recognition practices. In this context, the ACTS (African Credit Transfer System) work area of HAQAA3 contributes to advancing the continental dialogue on academic recognition, working in complementarity with mobility schemes such as MOBAF.

These exchanges reinforce a shared objective: to support a more coherent, trust-based and integrated African higher education space, where mobility and recognition effectively go hand in hand and contribute to effective continental integration.