As an attitude rather than a prescriptive approach, we are dedicated to build African University as a sustainable insitution of higher education. The tenets of sustainable development shall guide realization of African University in Tali, Cameroon. "Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs." -- World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, pp. 4, Oxford University Press, New York, 1987.

African University shall be an engaged institution of higher education. The focus of African University engagement shall include but not limited to extension and economic development initiatives. A central office shall support extension and economic development with external communities such as businesses, industries, local and state governments, educational institutions, individuals and groups which benefit from partnerships and collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, and students of African University.

• Needs: Defined by the conditions for maintaining an acceptable life standard for all people. The needs consist firstly of basic needs such as food, clothing, housing and employment.
• Limits: comprising the capacity of the environment to fulfill the needs of the present and the future, determined by the state of sociocultural organization and technology. The limits include natural limitations like finite resources, but also of declining productivity resulting from
• Overexploitation of resources, declining quality of water and shrinking of biodiversity.

• Reduced waste, effluent generation, emissions to environment
• Reduced impact on human health
• Use of renewable raw materials
• Elimination of toxic substances

• Creation of new markets and opportunities for sales growth
• Cost reduction through efficiency improvements and reduced energy and raw material inputs
• Creation of additional added value

• Health promotion and safety
• Impacts on local communities, quality of life
• Benefits to disadvantaged groups

As a unique African institution, African University, intends to provide all deserving students in Africa and abroad the opportunity to acquire an integrated experiential education, develop their talents and transform into leaders of society. It sees the implementation of community-based programs as the critical first step to prepare for the launch of degree-granting programs of the first flagship academic programs, the colleges of Agriculture, Business and Health. From such community-based programs, the Tali people will be able to build bridges towards improvement of their lives and communities as well as involvement of community leaders in the evolution of a curriculum stressing workable health care solutions, sustainable agricultural methods, and, from these, the good business principles which inevitably are the basis for the sorts of sound smaller- scale ventures which can serve a potential springboard for other entrepreneurial businesses throughout Cameroon and the rest of Africa.

African University Foundation plans as a first step towards engaging the Tali community to locate a Intigrated Community Center on the future campus of African University within tropical Tali. This will constitute a multifunction living, learning and work where local residents will engage in developing a workable educational model for sustainable development of their community and the new university. Beginning by meeting to share their fears, concerns, and hopes, residents in the Tali community area, including the 59 surrounding villages of the Upper Banyang subdivision of Manyu Division of the South West Region of Cameroon, will move on to build continuing and vitalizing collaborations.