The University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, will on Thursday, May 22 2025, formally launch its new Centre for African Social and Economic Transformation (CASET) — a groundbreaking initiative aimed at fostering transformative partnerships and addressing critical challenges across the African continent.
The event, which will be held at the UWE Bristol’s Frenchay campus, is expected to attract high-profile figures from government, academia and the private sector.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will be honoured as the Centre’s Patron during the launch, where he is also billed to deliver the keynote address.
Joining him at the ceremony will be Dr Ayodele Ogunsan, a newly appointed Advisory Board member of CASET, who is also Chairman Executive Group and board member of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). He will accompany Governor Sanwo-Olu alongside other senior Lagos State officials.
Other prominent figures expected at the event include Professor Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, Executive Secretary of Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC); Professor Sarah Agbor, former African Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) and Board Chair of the Forum for Innovation in African Universities (FIAU); and Klaus Schneider, Executive Partner at Schneider and Schaeffer, Germany. Vice Chancellors from various African countries are also expected to attend.
The Centre’s mission is to strengthen ties between African higher education institutions and UWE through capacity building, interdisciplinary research and knowledge exchange. Its programmes aim to reduce barriers to higher education for African students by offering transnational education (TNE) partnerships that provide access to globally recognised learning, with a focus on entrepreneurship and digital skills.
The initiative comes at a time when youth unemployment continues to rise across the continent. CASET seeks to bridge this gap by supporting targeted entrepreneurship programmes that help unlock the potential of young Africans.
One of CASET’s major projects is the British Council-funded ‘Bridging Borders Project’ (BBP), which is embedding startup ecosystems at the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and Covenant University. Through the BBP, more than 130 higher education practitioners are being trained to integrate entrepreneurship into curricula, while over 120,000 students are set to gain startup skills.
Founding Director of CASET and BBP Project Lead, Professor Paschal Anosike, who is also leading UWE’s transnational education expansion in Africa, said the project would drive transformative change in Nigeria’s higher education system. He noted that the Centre was committed to advancing youth entrepreneurship, capacity building and research across the continent.
Vice Chancellor of UWE Bristol, Professor Sir Steven West, described Africa as a continent full of youthful energy, innovation and entrepreneurship. He said CASET would serve as a leading platform to unlock this potential through strategic partnerships and collaborative research to tackle pressing social and economic challenges.
Also speaking, UWE’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, Jo Midgley, said the Centre aligns with the university’s values of innovation, inclusion and enterprise, and reflects its long-term commitment to addressing global challenges through education and collaboration.
CASET also builds on UWE’s broader social and cultural engagement in Africa through initiatives such as The Daigo Project in The Gambia and Project Zulu in South Africa. It further complements ongoing academic work led by Professors Peter Case and Richard Bolden, who are collaborating with the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute at the University of Pretoria to strengthen healthcare delivery and leadership systems on the continent.
