Burkina Faso launches digital university research project
The four-year Digit OACS project, funded by Germany, will analyze digital practices in universities across Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Nigeria.
A four-year research project called Digit OACS was launched on Monday, November 2, 2026, in Ouagadougou to analyze digital transition in higher education. The project, funded by German development cooperation with approximately 200 million FCFA, will examine how digital tools are used by academics and administrative staff in universities in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Nigeria.
The Digit OACS project aims to understand the actual uses of digital technologies by university actors, not just their presence, according to project director Dr. Natéwindé Sawadogo. Researchers will identify which digital tools academics choose to integrate into their teaching and research and which they prefer to manage traditionally, also studying administrative staff practices.
The comparative study is expected to highlight common practices and country-specific particularities, potentially guiding digital transformation policies in higher education and research institutions. Dr. Sawadogo noted that current digital transformation policies can be too generalized, failing to account for the different realities of various academic professions.
Why it mattersAcademics and administrative staff in Burkina Faso's universities will have their digital practices studied to inform future digital transformation policies.