President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, and a host of African leaders and officials attended the inauguration of Senghor University’s new campus in Borg Al-Arab in Alexandria on 9 May.
The event was described as a political and cultural declaration of a new phase in which Egypt is emerging as a hub for the production of African knowledge and the training of African cadres at one of the most prominent international Francophone institutions.
At the opening, Senghor University’s new building in Alexandria’s Borg Al-Arab resembled a miniature model of the African continent, especially with the attendance of hundreds of students hailing from several African countries.
Senghor University is an international French-speaking academic institution affiliated with the International Organisation of La Francophonie. Established in 1989 and officially inaugurated in Alexandria in 1990, it bears the name of former Senegalese president Léopold Sédar Senghor, one of the foremost intellectual figures associated with the defence of Francophone culture and African-international rapprochement.
Senghor University operates a network of 10 campus branches across Africa and Europe.
Over more than three decades, the university has evolved into a platform for preparing African leaders in administration, development, public policy, culture, education, health, and the environment.
The university does not offer undergraduate degrees but instead provides specialised postgraduate master’s programmes based on a competitive admissions system requiring both professional experience and university qualifications.
Senghor’s new headquarters in New Borg Al-Arab city is a modern campus equipped to accommodate larger numbers of students and researchers from across Africa and the French-speaking world. The move bolsters Egypt’s position as a regional centre for higher education and affirms its role in supporting development across Africa while deepening ties with the Francophone world.
The inauguration witnessed broad international participation, including the prime minister of Burundi, the secretary-general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, and the African Union commissioner for education, science, and technology.
In his address at the start of the ceremony, Al-Sisi said Egypt had never been just a host for knowledge, but rather a true partner in its production and dissemination. He stressed that the inauguration of the new campus comes at a time of growing need for effective international partnerships based on solidarity and integration among the countries of the Global South.
Al-Sisi affirmed that Egypt believes that investment in people is the most important path towards achieving development and stability, adding that support for African educational institutions forms part of Egypt’s vision of its role in Africa.
He noted that the decision to set up the new campus in 2019 reflected Egypt’s commitment to supporting Senghor University’s mission. Egypt provided both the land and the financial backing necessary for the project, which was completed in record time in order to double the university’s capacity.
Senghor University President Hani Hilal told Al-Ahram Weekly that the university specialises exclusively in postgraduate studies, having awarded master’s degrees for more than 30 years, while doctoral programmes were introduced five years ago. He explained that the university offers programmes across a range of development-related fields through an academic model that combines skills-building with specialised study.
Hilal said that the academic programme is divided into two components: one focused on students’ personal and general skills, and another centred on specialisation. The principal objective, he added, is to produce graduate professionals capable of management and decision-making in their respective fields, rather than providing theoretical instruction.
In addition, he pointed out that study at the university relies heavily on practical application and direct engagement with Egyptian institutions. Students participate in field trips according to their various specialisations. Museum management students, for example, visit the Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, while students of health and nutrition undertake visits to hospitals for close monitoring. This, he said, strengthens the practical dimension of study and connects academic learning with reality.
Hilal stated that students receive full scholarships covering accommodation, food, medical care, education, and travel expenses, having to pay only registration fees.
He explained that the annual cost per student is €10,000, borne by the university and donor states, noting that the university receives 4,000 applications each year, while only between 150 and 200 students are selected according to rigorous criteria aimed at preparing qualified African leaders capable of contributing to the development of their societies.
Senghor graduates today occupy ministerial and leadership positions in African governments, in addition to influential posts at the African Union, the United Nations, UNESCO, and major banking institutions, Hilal said.
He explained that the university offers nine specialised master’s programmes, including cultural heritage management, cultural institutions management, environmental and natural reserves management, governance and public administration, project management, international nutrition, international public health, and risk and crisis management. These specialisations, he added, are directly linked to the challenges facing the African continent in food security, sustainable development, climate change, and modern governance.
The new campus includes a modern conference hall that can accommodate nearly 500 people, 12 classrooms equipped with the latest digital communication systems, and 19 group-project rooms, in addition to an advanced digital centre, a modern fabrication laboratory, or Fab Lab, and a centre for innovation and entrepreneurship.
The campus also contains hundreds of student housing units, integrated accommodation facilities for guests, and a library housing thousands of printed and e-books, as well as audio and visual recording studios alongside advanced technological infrastructure covering the entire campus.
Mohamed Kamal, a professor at Cairo University and an education expert, said he believed that the inauguration of Senghor University’s new campus represented a renewed affirmation of Egypt’s leading role in Africa. He pointed out that since its establishment in 1990, more than 4,200 students from 43 African countries had graduated, many of whom now occupying leadership positions within international organisations and in their home countries.
Kamal added that the inauguration of the new campus reflects Africa’s confidence in Egypt’s role in supporting the continent’s stability and development. He said the university has become a model for international cooperation that combines education, development, and the building of African human capital.
According to the Egyptian presidency, Al-Sisi and Macron discussed the repercussions of regional conflicts, including the ongoing Iran war and wider tensions affecting maritime routes and commercial transport.
The two presidents later toured Alexandria’s Corniche and visited the historic Citadel of Qaitbay, the 15th-century fortress built on the site of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria.
Macron’s visit to Egypt marked the opening leg of a broader African tour that took him to Nairobi where he, together with President Al-Sisi took part in the Africa-France Summit alongside leaders from more than 30 African countries. The last leg of Macron’s Africa tour is in Addis Ababa.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 14 May, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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