Dakar will host the 19th General Assembly of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the 5th World Week of Scientific Francophonie (SMFS) from November 3 to 6, 2025. More than 800 academic decision-makers, 30 ministers, 200 researchers and students, as well as 10,000 online participants from 60 countries, are taking part in these two events.

During the opening ceremony, which took place on Monday, the President of the AUF recalled that "science and culture are two sides of the same quest: that of sovereignty".

The event focuses on youth, higher education, research and innovation with debates on graduate unemployment, the promotion of scientific output and Francophone scientific diplomacy.

In his address, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who presided over the opening ceremony, stressed the need for Africa to invest in science, technology and endogenous knowledge in order to strengthen its intellectual and digital autonomy.

He also emphasized the central role of higher education and research in youth integration, innovation and economic development.

The Head of State recalled that "all our actions must aim to provide solutions to the problems of young people in terms of education, training and employment".

Senegal, a founding country of the AUF in West Africa, illustrates this ambition with the launch of its first satellite and a national plan aimed at making digital technology a vector of development and scientific sovereignty.

Among the flagship initiatives of the AUF, the "Entreprendre" project encourages student and female entrepreneurship, while the "Mobilité urbaine durable et emploi" project promotes professional integration in jobs related to sustainable mobility.

This 19th General Assembly and 5th SMFS strengthen Francophone cooperation, multilingualism and the promotion of African knowledge, placing knowledge and innovation at the service of human progress and the development of the continent.