The authorities of the African University of Tali have unveiled a master plan as to the vision and programme the higher education outfit would offer to its students when it goes operational.
The focus, according to the officials of the African University Foundation, would be to develop the talents, transform them into leaders of society through integrated education.
This is the reason why a three-day Symposium was organised recently in Tali, Upper Bayang sub division in the South West Region of Cameroon to discuss amongst other things the African University education model, the role of African higher education in community development and to recommend strategies to advance African university.

As a university that seeks to meet up with the critical needs of the society, over seven community development programmes that would build the values of integrity, creativity, excellence and entrepreneurship have been earmarked. These include the college of Agriculture, business, Health, Architecture, Engineering and Technology, Education and School of Law.

The symposium that had as theme “The Role of African Higher Education and Sustainable Community Development: The Case of African University” was attended by the chairman and vice of the African University Foundation, Dr William Agbor Baiyee and David Williams Russell respectively and the USA country president of the Foundation, Dr Baiyee-Mbi Agbor- Baiyee, along side members of the Cameroon board headed by former Governor Enow Tanjong.

Speaking during the symposium, the African University initiative chairman, Dr William Agbor Baiyee said the symposium is intended to make everybody know what African university is all about before even the first building is put up and to facilitate and serve the development of African University in Tali. He posited that Africa must shift its place in the world from that of dependency on foreign aid to that of independence on industries and trade. Thus, the chairman added, African University as an institution will play a significant role in helping not only the Upper Bayang society to develop but also Africa as a whole because the institution has been proposed as a model university in the world.

On his part, former Governor Enow Tanjong, chairman of the African University Foundation, Cameroon, in his welcome note explained why African University, which, he said, is to fulfill the vision of the quality of life of Africans through the development efforts of products of the university. African University, he said, should be able to train youths to be immediately useful to society by being instruments of the development of the community. Governor Tanjong hoped that the symposium will define clearly the role of the African University in the development of the community as distinct from the role played by traditional universities in the country.

To the Second Deputy Mayor of Tinto Council who also doubled as a resource person, Thomas Orock, the coming of African University is very timely especially at a time when there is an urgent need to revamp universities in Africa to meet up with the demands of the society.
While pledging the support of the entire 59 villages that make up the municipality to the realisation of the project, the Deputy Mayor stressed that the project is a national one not withstanding that it is located in Tali.

Other presenters such as Dr Enoh Tanjong spoke on the Higher Education in Cameroon and their role in sustainable community development, in which he said the university is a knowledge production centre where any problem that faces humanity must be solved through research. Enoh urged the indigenous community to take advantage of the accessibility and affordability of the university.
Tali Traditional Council Offers 16km2 Land

Meantime, the Tali traditional council has donated 16sq km of land to the African University as part of their contribution to the project. The piece of land that is about 5-6 km away from the inhabited area is mainly a virgin forest. According to the chief of Tali, HRH Simon Orock Baiyee, the land has been given once and for all unconditionally and the demarcation of the site has already been done.
Highlights of the symposium also included a visit to the site and the display of traditional dances.