In a significant step to deepen academic diplomacy and international cooperation, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has officially launched a regional office in Accra, Ghana, tasked with coordinating Germany’s educational and research engagements across Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
Formerly a local information centre, the upgraded Accra office now operates as a full-fledged regional hub—part of DAAD’s ongoing global restructuring to consolidate operations and boost impact in strategically important regions. The office will oversee and expand academic partnerships, support student exchanges, and promote research collaborations between West African institutions and German universities.
The expansion comes at a time when West Africa is experiencing a surge in higher education enrolment, with Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon collectively home to approximately 2.5 million university students. Around 13,500 of these students are currently studying in Germany, while over 130 active cooperation projects link institutions between the regions.
Speaking at the inauguration, DAAD President Professor Joybrato Mukherjee emphasised the demographic and academic importance of the region.
“By 2050, Africa will comprise a quarter of the global population. This demographic growth is already driving up the number of university students and research partnerships,” he said. “West Africa is rising not only in size but in academic ambition, making it a strategic priority for German cooperation.”
The new Accra office also underscores Germany’s commitment to science diplomacy—the use of academic exchange as a tool for fostering global peace, dialogue, and development. Amid regional instability in areas like the Sahel, academic engagement is seen as a stabilising force.
“Science is a hard currency in foreign policy,” Mukherjee added. “Even in times of political turbulence, academic partnerships endure. They are platforms for sustained dialogue, innovation, and peacebuilding.”
The Accra regional office is now one of two DAAD regional hubs in Sub-Saharan Africa, joining the existing office in Nairobi, Kenya. Together, these offices will serve as key nodes in DAAD’s mission to strengthen African-European higher education ties, promote mobility of scholars, and facilitate matchmaking between institutions.
As part of a broader reduction in DAAD’s global footprint—from 71 to 55 offices by 2025, regional offices like Accra represent a strategic shift towards multi-country outreach models that emphasize scale, efficiency, and regional integration.
With the strong backing of Germany’s Foreign Office, the Accra regional office is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of academic cooperation, innovation, and cultural exchange between West Africa and Germany.
Article by Nyokabi Wanjiku
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