The Director of the Nigerian Center for Arabic Research, Professor Elkhidiru Abdul Baaqi, has been elected as the President of the African Union of Arab and Arabist Academics during an international conference held in Morocco. The conference, titled “Arabic Speakers in Sub-Saharan Africa: Identity Demands and Stage Questions,” was hosted by Ibn Zohr University in Agadir.
The conference brought together participants from over twenty African countries and resulted in recommendations aimed at promoting Arab culture in sub-Saharan Africa. The establishment of the “African Union of Arab and Arab Academics” was announced, with Morocco serving as the temporary host. The union hopes to provide a framework for systematic scientific thinking about the continent’s issues and create opportunities for sub-Saharan Arab academics to collaborate and showcase their creativity.
Furthermore, the conference recommended initiatives to enhance the presence of Arab culture in the public sphere of sub-Saharan African countries. This includes supporting educational institutions, encouraging authorship and publishing, and offering support to researchers and students from Arabic-speaking communities on the continent.
In addition to the election of Professor Elkhidiru Abdul Baaqi as President, the conference also saw the appointment of Professor Dr. Mohammed Nazif, a former Chadian Minister, as the honorary president. Moroccan Professor Mohamed Bouznkat emerged as the Secretary-General of the Union.
The conference, which took place from the 24th to the 26th of February 2024, featured 45 male and female researchers representing 18 sub-Saharan and Arab countries. It concluded with the signing of a multilateral partnership agreement between fifteen public and private university institutions, institutes, and research centers working in the field of African studies and continental issues. During the closing ceremony, Ibn Zohr University recognized the achievements of two Nigerian and Guinean writers, Noureddine Jibril Ramadan and Mohamed Dansuka, in the fields of language, literature, novels, stories, and humanities.
