SECAM Calls on Universities and Higher Institutes for Educational Renewal

The Association of Catholic Universities and Higher Institutes of Africa and Madagascar (ASUNICAM) held its general assembly on May 5 and 6, 2026, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Catholic universities were called upon « to train a new generation of African leaders. »

The proceedings of this general assembly took place at the Limete campus of the Catholic University of Congo. The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) was represented by Reverend Father Zéphirin Moubé, SECAM’s Deputy Secretary General, responsible for evangelization.

Addressing the rectors and academic leaders, Father Zéphirin Moubé emphasized ASUNICAM’s strategic role in the Church’s mission in Africa. According to him, Catholic universities must transcend their institutional status to become true centers of excellence where faith and modernity converge.

The SECAM representative highlighted three priority areas. The first is the urgent need for an African Educational Pact, inspired by Pope Francis’ Global Compact on Education, to train citizens capable of positively transforming their societies.

The second area emphasizes the preservation of Catholic identity in the face of the challenges of secularization, recalling that the search for truth and ethical commitment must guide institutions.

Training a new generation of leaders

Finally, the third area concerns research focused on the common good. “Inspired by Evangelii Gaudium, our universities must adopt an outward-looking approach, that is, one oriented towards responding to social emergencies and providing solutions tailored to the ills afflicting our populations,” declared Father Moubé. He added that “universities can become laboratories where ethical and scientific responses to the complex challenges facing the continent are cultivated.”

He assured ASUNICAM of SECAM’s support and then called upon members to train a new generation of African leaders combining competence, integrity, and social commitment, to build a reconciled and prosperous Africa.

Unanimously, the members of ASUNICAM re-elected Professor Abbé Léonard Santedi as interim president for another year, entrusting him with the responsibility of organizing an extraordinary general assembly in April 2027 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

SECAM Communications Office