The visit occurred under the auspices of a training program organized by the Groupement international des secrétaires généraux des universités francophones (CISGUF) and the Association des secrétaires généraux d'établissements universitaires (ASGÉU) for the secretaries general of French-language universities in the South.

The activities aimed to introduce participants--who represented a dozen African universities--to the university- management models used in Québec. The event coincided with the 4th annual Semaine québécoise des rencontres interculturelles, a week of cross-cultural exchange initiated by the province's ministry of immigration and cultural communities.