The DaVinci Institute has joined higher education institutions from across Africa in an important initiative aimed at rethinking how excellence is defined and measured across the continent.
The initiative was launched by the University of Cape Town (UCT), Africa’s highest-ranked university in several major global rankings, in partnership with Applied Higher Education (AppliedHE). The All-Africa Rankings Initiative seeks to develop an African-informed framework for recognising excellence across public and private higher education institutions.
The All-Africa Higher Education Xchange
The inaugural flagship convening, the All-Africa Higher Education Xchange, took place in Cape Town from 31 August to 1 September 2026. It brought together university leaders and higher education stakeholders from public and private institutions across the continent.
The gathering focused on a fundamental question: What should excellence in African higher education look like in the 21st century?
DaVinci’s Contribution to the Continental Conversation
The DaVinci Institute participated in this continental conversation, contributing the perspective of a private higher education institution focused on leadership, technology, innovation and systems thinking.
Its participation provided an opportunity to share insights on how higher education institutions can develop agile, innovative and purpose-driven leaders capable of responding to Africa’s complex social and economic challenges.
Moving Beyond Conventional Global Rankings
The initiative is significant because conventional global rankings do not always capture the diversity of missions, priorities and contributions of African institutions.
Areas such as societal impact, graduate outcomes, innovation, entrepreneurship, community engagement, African knowledge systems and contributions to economic development can be difficult to reflect through traditional ranking methodologies.
Rather than simply asking which university is number one, the initiative seeks to explore which forms of excellence matter to Africa and how they can be measured credibly and transparently.
Helping Shape the Future of African Higher Education
For DaVinci, participation reflects its commitment to contributing to the future of higher education, not only as an institution responding to change but also as an active participant in shaping the conversations that will influence the sector.
The initiative creates an opportunity for African institutions, both public and private, to help ensure that measures of excellence reflect the continent’s realities, ambitions and contributions to the world.
DaVinci’s involvement represents more than participation in a rankings discussion. It is an opportunity to help shape how African higher education is understood, recognised and valued in the years ahead.
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