The Sita project: A Blockchain-based Quality Assurance Framework as a Contribution to the Transformation of Higher Education in Africa

International audience Building a higher education facility requires a number of essential elements. These include the provision of appropriate physical infrastructure, such as classrooms, lecture theaters, laboratories, libraries, administrative offices, student support services and recreational facilities. In addition, the institution needs to invest in various technological resources, such as a solid IT infrastructure, computer labs, high-speed internet connectivity, audiovisual equipment, e-learning platforms, learning management systems and digital libraries. In addition, to ensure the continuous improvement of educational standards, the institution must implement quality assurance mechanisms. All these prerequisites require huge financial resources, which are a real obstacle for developing countries. New technologies, including blockchain, offer a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality of higher education institutions. In this article, we take advantage of blockchain technology to propose a framework for improving the services of educational establishments, in particular digital identity and credentials verification, secure student data management, decentralized student record management and efficient verification of degrees and accreditations. The results of the simulation, carried out under realistic blockchain operating conditions, prove its feasibility and usefulness