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NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MoHE) and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kenya, hosted the Malaysia–Africa Higher Education Forum 2025 (MAHEF2025–Africa) on 24th November 2025 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Upper Hill, Nairobi. This forum marked the inaugural edition for the Africa region, representing a significant milestone in Malaysia’s higher education engagement efforts. Moving forward, it was intended to be held once every two years, with each edition hosted on a rotational basis across different African countries to ensure broader regional participation, co-hosting opportunities, and stronger visibility throughout the continent. The event was attended by the Guest of Honour, the Honourable Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, whose presence coincided with his Africa engagement visit, reflecting Malaysia’s strong commitment to South–South cooperation.
In conjunction with MAHEF2025–Africa, the Study in Malaysia Education Fair & Counsellor Workshop Kenya 2025 was also held, further strengthening Malaysia’s outreach and engagement efforts in the region. Carrying the theme “Intensifying Internationalisation in the Context of the Global South Agenda,” the Forum aimed to strengthen higher education cooperation, expand research collaboration, and advance talent mobility across Malaysia and participating African countries.
The Malaysian delegation was led by YBhg. Datuk Dr. Anesee bin Ibrahim, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, accompanied by senior officials including YBhg. Datuk Professor Dr. Azlinda Azman, Director-General of Higher Education, and Novie Tajuddin, Chief Executive Officer of EMGS.
The Forum gathered leading experts, policymakers, and higher education leaders from Malaysia and across Africa. Participants included parents, students, alumni, government officials, university representatives, and quality assurance bodies, collectively underscoring the strong and diverse interest in Malaysia–Africa education cooperation.
“Malaysia and Africa share a history of struggle against colonialism, a spirit of resilience, and a firm belief that education is a vehicle for achieving justice, human dignity, and national progress. Malaysia firmly pledges to strengthen skills and talent exchange, deepen university-to-university collaboration, and promote equitable access to education. Together with our partners in Kenya and across the African continent, we remain committed to advancing our shared aspirations in higher education,” said YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia.
“This forum reflects our collective ambition to strengthen South–South cooperation in education and research, leveraging the comparative strengths of our nations to address shared challenges such as climate change, digital transformation, and youth employability,” said Julius Migos Ogamba, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education, Kenya.
“It is our hope that Malaysia and Africa will continue to strengthen this partnership through deeper institutional linkages, expanded scholarship opportunities, co-developed programmes, and collaborative research that addresses regional and global challenges,” said Datuk Dr. Anesee bin Ibrahim, Secretary-General, Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) Malaysia. Novie Tajuddin, the Chief Executive Officer of EMGS, also add that “MAHEF2025-Africa is a starting platform to reach out to our seven participating African countries, not only through our physical presence here, but also digitally”.
MAHEF2025–Africa served as a strategic platform for bilateral and multilateral collaboration. The Forum facilitated:
- Strengthening Government-to-Government (G2G) and Government-to-Institution linkages
- Enhancing University-to-University (U2U) partnerships
- Advancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) cooperation
- Expanding Transnational Education (TNE) initiatives
- Supporting academic exchanges, joint research, and postgraduate collaboration
- Promoting student and talent mobility across both regions
A key highlight of the event was the signing and exchange of Malaysia–Africa Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), which reinforced joint aspirations to deepen collaboration in higher education, research, and capacity building.
These engagements supported Shift 7: Global Prominence under the Malaysia Education Blueprint (Higher Education), reaffirming Malaysia’s position as a vibrant education hub in the Global South.
In conjunction with MAHEF2025, EMGS also hosted the Study in Malaysia Education Fair, held on 23–24 November 2025, attracted almost 500 attendees over two days. The Fair featured 12 Malaysian universities and resulted in the issuance of more than 150 Conditional Offer Letters (COLs) on the spot, reflecting strong demand from Kenyan and African students for Malaysian education pathways.
The growing interest in Transnational Education (TNE) from African learners was clearly evident, with Malaysia well-positioned to meet this demand through its established network of foreign branch campuses and internationally recognised academic programmes.
Overall, MAHEF2025–Africa welcomed more than 400 visitors and participants, making it one of Malaysia’s most significant higher education outreach initiatives in Africa. The Forum reinforced Malaysia’s national goal of welcoming 250,000 international students by 2030. Malaysia hosted more than 150,000 international students from over 180 countries, contributing an estimated RM16 billion annually to the national economy through tuition fees, living expenditure, and long-term talent development.
EDUCATION MALAYSIA GLOBAL SERVICES (EMGS)
28TH NOVEMBER 2025
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About Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS)
Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) is a Company Limited by Guarantee (“CLBG”) under the purview of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. EMGS is the wing responsible for promoting Malaysia as the talent and knowledge hub and the preferred education destination among international students around the world. It is also the principal body that manages the movement of international students in Malaysia, including facilitating visa processing.
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Prepared by: EDUCATION MALAYSIA GLOBAL SERVICES (EMGS)
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