The Association of African Universities (AAU) in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Benin is holding the 7th edition of the regional workshop of the CEA Impact from 13 to 17 June 2022 in Cotonou. It is the Minister Eléonore Yayi Ladékan who opened the veil on the activities of this important event this Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at the Palais des Congrès.
The objective of this international conclave which brings together 53 centers of excellence (from universities in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo) surrounded by other key players in higher education and partners such as the World Bank and the French Agency for Development (AFD), is to provide a platform for the Centers of Excellence to exchange information on their respective programs, and to forge partnerships to ensure the successful implementation of the project for the benefit of African students and faculty, scientific research, industry and other key sectors of the economy. 
Plenary sessions, roundtables, sessions with the expert communities, coaching for the centers as a whole as well as in their specificity are the activities on the agenda of this regional CEA Impact workshop.
This opening was preceded by a press conference chaired by the Secretary General of the AAU, Prof. OLUSOLA BANDELE OYEWOLE, assisted by the World Bank Representative Dr. Ekua BENTIL and the coordinators of the centers of excellence in Benin. It aimed to provide a platform for the media to interact with key stakeholders of the project on the implementation of the project to advance African higher education. An opportunity to exchange on the investments, the impact, the progress of the Centers of Excellence project, the results achieved in different areas of intervention and future challenges. 
The official closing of this meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 17, 2022 at the Palais des Congrès. It will be followed by a gala dinner offered by the Rector of the University of Abomey-Calavi, Prof. Félicien AVLESSI.