A message from Dean Jared Auclair

Chair of the Africa Global Initiative

At Northeastern, we believe in the power of collaboration and the transformative potential of education that connects directly to real-world impact. Our engagement with African countries exemplifies this through meaningful partnerships that create value for everyone involved.

What excites me most is how naturally Northeastern’s core strengths align with the dynamic opportunities across Africa. As an R1 research university with a global reach and our distinctive focus on experiential learning, we’re uniquely positioned to build substantive relationships that go far beyond traditional academic exchanges.

My own personal work on the continent has led to extensive capacity-building and workforce development initiatives, focusing on strengthening biopharmaceutical regulatory systems, advancing analytical characterization capabilities, and fostering local manufacturing expertise. Through collaborations with organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), and national regulatory authorities, this work has delivered training programs, workshops, and strategic guidance to support regulatory convergence, improve quality standards, and enhance access to safe, effective medicines. As chair of AGI, I am humbled to lead not only my own continued research in resilient health systems, but to continue the expansion of new partnerships and collaborations with the many others at Northeastern and beyond who are already driving innovation across the continent.

The hope and progress of this initiative is to deepen and enrich all communities, creating transformative opportunities that fundamentally shape how learners, researchers, and educators around the world approach their careers as global citizens. This is education at its best: practical, collaborative, and designed to meet the evolving needs of a global workforce. Africa represents not just an opportunity for Northeastern, but a partnership that’s essential for preparing the next generation of leaders and innovators.