Tunisia Positions Itself as Regional Hub for Advanced Teacher Training in Africa
Tunisia signed a new agreement with Mauritania that allows Mauritanian students to enroll in its elite agrégation preparatory program in mathematics and physics. The partnership follows a similar agreement with Guinea and supports Tunisia's strategy to become a regional hub for advanced academic training in Africa. Tunisia continues to expand. . .
Tunisia signed a new agreement with Mauritania that allows Mauritanian students to enroll in its elite agrégation preparatory program in mathematics and physics. The partnership follows a similar agreement with Guinea and supports Tunisia's strategy to become a regional hub for advanced academic training in Africa. Tunisia continues to expand higher education cooperation across Africa despite a decline in the number of foreign students enrolled in its universities. Tunisia recently expanded its university cooperation with Mauritania. On June 30 in Nouakchott, the Preparatory Institute for Scientific and Technical Studies (IPEST), which operates under the University of Carthage, signed a partnership agreement with Mauritania's Ministry of Higher Education. The agreement allows Mauritanian students to enroll in Tunisia's preparatory agrégation program in mathematics and physical sciences, according to an official statement. The protocol defines the responsibilities of each party. Mohamed Aly Louly, director of Mauritania's École Normale Supérieure (ENS), represented the Mauritanian side alongside Tah Habib, director of the Agrégation Preparation Center. Mohamed Ali Jendoubi, director of IPEST, signed the agreement for Tunisia. Aymen Zouaghi, Tunisia's chargé d'affaires ad interim in Nouakchott, attended the signing ceremony. The agreement extends a strategy that IPEST has already implemented. On May 10, 2024, the institute signed a similar partnership with Guinea's Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation. That agreement also aimed to train agrégation-qualified teachers for preparatory classes, according to the official statement. Both partnerships rely on the same institution, the same cooperation framework and the same focus on scientific disciplines. An Elite Institute Expands Across AfricaIPEST has prepared students for Tunisia's national agrégation examinations in mathematics and physical sciences since its establishment in 1991. The program lasts two years and concludes with a national competitive examination. Until recently, the institute limited admission to Tunisian holders of master's degrees or equivalent qualifications. The agreements with Guinea and Mauritania mark the program's first expansion beyond Tunisia's borders. IPEST operates under the University of Carthage, one of Tunisia's leading research institutions. The university hosted59 research laboratoriesduring the 2024-2025 academic year, ranking third nationally behind the Universities of Tunis El Manar and Sfax, according to rankings published on March 31, 2026, by Tunisia's Ministry of Higher Education. The institute's international expansion reflects the rarity of the qualification it offers. Tunisia's Ministry of Higher Education recorded only37 agrégation diplomasduring the 2024-2025 academic year, compared with54,381 degreesawarded across all disciplines. The agrégation remains the highest teaching qualification available within many French-speaking higher education systems. Holders receive a distinct professional status and higher salaries, and they often teach in the most selective preparatory classes. Few African countries operate dedicated agrégation training centers, creating a gap that IPEST aims to fill. African Presence Expands Despite Lower Foreign Student EnrollmentThe agrégation agreements form part of a broader expansion of Tunisia's higher education engagement with Africa. Tunisia hosted9,047 international studentsduring the 2023-2024 academic year, and African students accounted for77. 8%of that total, according to the Ministry of Higher Education. However, the number of foreign students declined to8,062during the following academic year, according to indicators published on March 31, 2026. The decline contrasts with Tunisia's increasingly active academic diplomacy across Africa. Both trends have developed simultaneously, although the ministry has not publicly explained the discrepancy. A strategic document published in 2020 provides additional context. Under an initiative titled"Cap sur l'Afrique"(Heading for Africa), the ministry committed itself to promoting "the export of Tunisian expertise and positioning Tunisia as a preferred academic and scientific destination. "The strategy identified Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger as potential partners. It also listed Chad, Djibouti, Benin, Cameroon and Burundi. Six years later, Tunisia has converted two of those ambitions into formal partnerships through agreements with Guinea and Mauritania. However, the strategy extends well beyond agrégation training. A Broader Academic Cooperation NetworkTunisia's ambitions extend beyond teacher training. In February 2026, a delegation from the University of Carthage traveled to Morocco, where it signed a cooperation agreement with the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez, according to the Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) news agency. The partnership focuses on joint research under the Mediterranean PRIMA program. The University of Carthage has therefore expanded its academic partnerships across both the Sahel and the Maghreb. The expansion, which began in 2024, appears likely to continue. Seven countries identified in Tunisia's 2020 strategy have not yet concluded agrégation agreements with Tunis. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad remain natural candidates. Djibouti, Benin, Cameroon and Burundi also remain potential partners. If Tunisia maintains the pace of agreements recorded over the past two years, IPEST will likely continue to expand its network of African partner countries. This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo LokossouAdapted in French by Ange J. 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