Specific objectives are to:
a) Document and analyze the status of women in universities and other higher education institutions in Africa.
b) Support and promote programmes to strengthen and improve women leaders and women's leadership roles. One outcome will be the strengthening of women academic leaders.
c) Support and promote degree and non-degree programmes utilizing information and communications technologies (ICTs) to provide distance education courses for women. This is to enable the massification of higher education for women at affordable costs.
d) Promote and support research, development and curriculum that are of vital interest for women including the political, scientific, technical, social, health and economic spheres.
e) Promote and support stronger linkages between higher and basic education with a view to strengthening the quality and relevance of basic education, with special emphasis on the education of girls.
f) Create a network of women in higher education and of education programmes targeted at women and dealing with issues of concern to women in Africa and globally.
g) Advocate and promote gender mainstreaming at existing universities in Africa. This will include focus on the educational needs of women, with emphasis on the critical importance that women can play in the process of development.
h) Promote the establishment of women's colleges and women's universities in the region where this is needed.