CEO of Kepler University cautions students on the use of Artificial Intelligence

KIGALI, March 19, 2025– Nathalie Munyampenda, CEO of Kepler University, has hailed the THE Africa Universities Summit as a crucial platform for higher education leaders to exchange insights on improving education quality across the continent.

“The summit brings together university leaders to share best practices on how to enhance the quality of education despite existing challenges,” Munyampenda stated.

She highlighted that institutions like those from Ghana and Nigeria participated in the event, allowing for discussions on how both public and private universities are expanding student enrollment while maintaining quality education.

“We seek to understand how they manage to increase student numbers while ensuring graduates are equipped to tackle Africa’s pressing challenges,” she added.

Munyampenda also pointed out that the rise of private universities in Rwanda—many of them foreign institutions—has contributed to improving quality education.

“Our focus should be on ensuring students can apply what they learn. At Kepler, for instance, we teach project management, but our priority is making sure graduates have the practical skills required in the field. The true measure of quality education is whether students can seamlessly transition into the workforce,” she emphasized.

Students cautioned while using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Addressing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, Munyampenda stressed that while AI is an unstoppable revolution, it must be harnessed wisely.

“No matter what, artificial intelligence is here to stay. Governments must decide the direction they want to take, and educators need to teach students how to use AI as a tool while fostering independent thinking,” she said.

She warned that AI could replace certain jobs, making creativity a critical skill for the future.

“Anyone who fails to be creative will struggle to find employment. As educators, AI helps us with assessments and simplifies complex tasks, but it does not replace student monitoring. If students rely solely on ChatGPT without developing critical thinking skills—and if parents do not reinforce this at home—they will graduate without the ability to perform meaningful work,” she cautioned.

Geoffrey Mahoro, a student at the African Leadership University, echoed these sentiments, acknowledging AI as a valuable educational tool but warning that students should not become overly dependent on it.

Meanwhile, in a session titled “How Is Africa Leading on Work Towards the SDGs”, Tebelelo Masile-Seretse, Chancellor of the University of Botswana, criticized universities for not contributing effectively to sustainable development goals (SDGs), citing weak research structures as a major setback.

“Our universities are not making a significant impact because research is not being conducted in the right way,” she remarked.

“The researches benefit the professors rather than the countries. They are looking for research funds, and in certain instances, yes, they do get the research funds, but it is more inward than outward. Our universities need to be researching the correct solutions which can assist our different communities.”

Margaret Jesang Hutchinson, Vice-Chancellor, University of Nairobi, said universities have been a little bit behind and a bit rigid in terms of not being agile to close industry-academia linkage.

“I think there is an opportunity for us to strengthen that linkage so that we do research, training for cutting edge technologies that can actually be undertaken. So is Africa on the trajectory towards being compliant with the aspirations of the SDGS? The answer is no. we could do much more, so we are always lagging behind because we have not internalized the aspirations of the 17 SDGS goals.”

Hanene Brussi, Vice President, University of Tunis, el Manor, also said Africa is not the master of the scene in terms of freedom of research, selection of priorities and things which could be designed to Africa needs and actually getting funding for that.

As Africa’s universities navigate the evolving landscape of education and technology, experts at the summit emphasized the urgent need for institutions to adapt, innovate, and equip students with the skills required to drive the continent’s transformation.