African Virtual University

The African Virtual University (AVU) was established in 1997 to increase access to relevant and quality tertiary education and training for African students by using information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although set up by the World Bank, AVU is now an autonomous institution with over 34 learning centers in 17 African countries. It receives funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Australian Aid (AUSAID), Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, which is used to purchase content from Australian and Canadian universities. Recently the AVU has started exploring the possibilities of making use of content from African universities, and the purchasing of content from outside Africa is being limited to 20% to make the education and training more relevant and cost-effective.