JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 12 – The Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technology (FEST), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), successfully organised the International Colloquium on Future-Ready and Transformative Education 2026 (ICOFTE 2026), bringing together four universities from three countries in a shared commitment to advancing education through global partnerships.

Conducted fully online via Webex, the one-day colloquium involved UTM, Malaysia; Taraba State University and Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria; and Makerere University, Uganda. With the theme “Future-Ready and Transformative Education,” the programme served as an international platform for university leaders and academics to exchange knowledge, explore emerging educational priorities and identify opportunities for future collaboration.

The programme began with welcoming remarks by the Dean of FEST, Prof. Dr. Noraffandy Yahaya. In his address, he welcomed participants and representatives from the partner universities and highlighted the importance of international academic engagement in addressing the changing needs of education. He also emphasised that meaningful institutional partnerships could strengthen research, academic development and knowledge exchange across countries.

The opening session continued with framing remarks by the Director of ICOFTE 2026, Dr. Abdulmumini Inda, who introduced the overall direction of the colloquium and explained why future-ready and transformative education matters in the current global context.

Three keynote addresses formed the main highlight of the morning session. The first keynote was delivered by Prof. Dr. Hamdan Said from UTM, who presented “Digital Transformation, University Leadership and Global Partnerships for Transformative Education.” His presentation discussed how digital transformation, effective leadership and international networks can support universities in responding to new educational challenges.

The second keynote address was presented by the Vice-Chancellor of Taraba State University, Prof. Sunday Paul Bako. His presentation, entitled “Values-Based Higher Education for Future-Ready Societies,” highlighted the role of values in ensuring that higher education institutions produce knowledgeable, responsible and adaptable graduates.

The third keynote speaker, Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Adamu Ahmad, presented “Research Leadership, Quality Assurance and Curriculum Transformation in African Universities.” He discussed the importance of strong research leadership and continuous curriculum improvement in maintaining the quality and relevance of university education.

The keynote sessions were followed by three lead paper presentations. Prof. Abdullahi Dalhatu from Ahmadu Bello University presented on strengthening academic excellence through innovation, ethics and partnership. Prof. Mustapha Abdulrazaq Baba Ibi from Taraba State University then shared his insights on translating institutional vision into curriculum, teaching, research and community impact.

The final lead paper was delivered by Dr. Murtala Aminu-Baba from Makerere University. His presentation focused on intelligent technologies, university transformation and the global relevance of African higher education. Collectively, the presentations provided different perspectives on how universities can remain responsive and relevant amid technological, social and institutional changes.

In the afternoon, representatives of the four institutions participated in a strategic knowledge-sharing and collaboration discussion. Led by Dr. Abdulmumini Inda on behalf of FEST, the session focused on academic networking, research collaboration, knowledge exchange and potential future institutional partnerships.

The discussion enabled the participating universities to identify shared academic interests and possible initiatives that could be developed beyond the colloquium. It also reflected the commitment of all four institutions to turn the ideas discussed during the programme into practical and sustainable collaborative activities.

ICOFTE 2026 marked an important step in strengthening the relationship among UTM, Taraba State University, Ahmadu Bello University and Makerere University. Through the involvement of institutions from Malaysia, Nigeria and Uganda, the colloquium demonstrated how cross-country cooperation can support future-ready education, strengthen institutional capacity and create a wider transformative impact.