The Pan African University Institute of Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences (PAUGHSS) held its 11th Graduation Ceremony on March 5, 2026, at the University of Yaoundé II-SOA, conferring doctoral degrees on 27 graduates from 20 African Union Member States. All 27 completed the PhD Programme in Governance and Regional Integration, the institute's flagship doctoral programme.

This edition carried a distinctive milestone: three PhD cohorts — the 5th, 7th, and 8th Promotions — completed their journey together at a single ceremony, a convergence that reflected both the perseverance of the graduates and the institution's continued momentum. Among the 27 doctors, 14 are men and 13 are women, a near-equal gender balance embodying the African Union's commitment to equity in higher education. The graduating class spans 20 Member States — from Benin to Zimbabwe, from Somalia to Guinea — making it a living expression of the pan-African integration that PAUGHSS exists to advance.

The ceremony brought together senior representatives from the African Union Commission, the Government of Cameroon, and partner universities. Prof. Saidou Madougou, Director of the ESTI Department of the African Union Commission, delivered an address on behalf of H.E. Prof. Gaspard Banyankimbona, ESTI Commissioner, connecting the graduates' years of research directly to Agenda 2063 and calling on them to return to their countries as active agents of change. "You are not bystanders in Africa's transformation," he told the graduating class. "You are its vanguard." Prof. Horace Ngomo Manga, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buea, reaffirmed his institution's partnership with PAUGHSS and extended special congratulations to Dr. Carine Njoumessi and Dr. Lieketso Seutla, both alumni of the Buea-based programmes.

PAUGHSS is one of five thematic institutes of the Pan African University, a flagship initiative of the African Union. Hosted by the University of Yaoundé II-SOA, it trains students from across the continent in Governance and Regional Integration and in Translation and Conference Interpretation, in both English and French, in alignment with the goals of Agenda 2063.