The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Africa Union of Architects (AUA) on educational services.   

The memorandum will enable the AUA to have a world platform to raise the profile of issues facing African architects. Recently appointed AUA President Seif Allah Alnaga is personally committed to developing CPD and education initiatives and is active in the UIA's CPD work, representing Egypt and his region as a UIA vice president.

This follows on from work the Institute has been doing to help establish multilingual CPD frameworks in Africa; most recently a CPD workshop in Alexandria to launch the AUA CPD programme.

The AUA are also presenting a paper on the CPD issue to the UIA General Assembly, and it is envisioned that the UIA may consider an African CPD programme. The paper also aims to encourage other countries to follow the RIBA's lead in supporting further initiatives with the AUA.

Joni Tyler, Head of Continuous Professional Development at the RIBA said:
"The CPD team is honoured to have been asked to help the AUA. Equally, this symbolic act from the RIBA is incredibly meaningful and important to the AUA and its leaders. It is a modest, manageable and realistic MoU, concentrating on systems and frameworks already within the CPD objectives and workplan.

"We feel that this will be an excellent start in helping African architects raise their skills and game, and giving them the structures to offer an African architecture for Africa. They have great hopes for CPD helping them to overcome problems."

Tokunbo Omisore, AUA Secretary General envisioned that a holistic CPD programme in Africa would succeed in:
"Raising professionalism and standards, adding value for practitioners , c reating opportunities, protecting jobs, bringing architects together and uniting Africa."