African University of Science and Technology (AUST)

The African University of Science and Technology (AUST) is a Pan-African, private, not-for-profit university established in Abuja in 2007 as one of the institutions created through the Nelson Mandela Institutions initiative. The initiative emerged from the vision associated with Nelson Mandela for developing strong African centres of excellence capable of expanding sub-Saharan Africa's capacity in science, technology and advanced research. AUST Abuja was the first institution established within that network.
AUST was designed from its foundation as a research-intensive institution serving students and researchers from across Africa rather than as a conventional national university. Its academic model initially concentrated heavily on postgraduate education, combining intensive coursework with advanced research in areas including materials science and engineering, petroleum engineering, computer science, mathematics and physics. The university has attracted students and faculty from across the continent and developed international scientific networks to support its research and postgraduate training.