About the AQVN

The African Qualification Verification Network (AQVN) was formed in 2016 in response to the challenges faced by many African government entities in respect to the verification of foreign qualifications. Facilitated by the South African Qualifications Authority, the formation of the AQVN was the outcome of a declaration by key stakeholders in qualifications management in Africa to “ Build Trust and Promote Genuine Qualifications in Africa through Effective Verification”.
The main function of AQVN is to develop trustworthy and legitimate institutional linkages and networks across the African continent in order to verify qualifications and access learner records seamlessly.
AQVN has a longstanding cooperation with Southern African Development Community (SADC) and many other qualifications  and quality assurance institutions on the continent.

AQVN and the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) project have a shared interest to advance efficient and credible recognition of qualifications, as this contributes to better learner and worker mobility and lifelong learning, and the wider agenda of integration. This series of experience-sharing webinars is the first step of AQVN-ACQF cooperation and holds promise.

As stated in the AQVN constitution, the primary objectives of the network are to:

• Bring together key stakeholders who share a common interest in qualifications verification;
• Encourage the professional development of members who are involved in qualifications verification and where possible, create opportunities for professional development;
• Establish and share good practice through collaboration and innovation;
• Promote effective communication and cooperation and common platform between the Network members;
• Advocate to broaden support for the network from a range of stakeholders including African Ministries, organisations and donor agencies; and
• Expand the AQVN to include all African countries and in alignment with the principles of the Addis Convention, explore ways to collaborate with other relevant Networks in the continent and globally.

Webinars 2021: Recognition and verification of qualifications – lessons from practice in the Covid-19 crisis and beyond. Experiences from Africa and Europe. Experience-sharing: challenges, innovative solutions, tools, way forward.

In accordance with its constitution, AQVN organises a series of webinars for AQVN members and other interested entities focusing on the challenges, solutions and good practices emerging from the first year of the global pandemic. This experience-sharing activity contributes to the wider agenda of transparency and comparability of qualifications, indispensable for better progression, recognition, and mobility of learners. The series of five webinars will take place in the period July 2021 to November 2021.

The socio-economic and cultural effects of the pandemic on the African continent is concerning. Mobility of people has been drastically affected as also the functioning of schools and other education institutions. The pandemic is also impacting entities responsible for recognition and verification of qualifications.