{"id":3458,"date":"2025-12-18T19:33:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T19:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/ahe\/?p=3458"},"modified":"2026-02-11T11:14:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:14:52","slug":"higher-education-in-africa-pathways-to-relevance-and-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/higher-education-in-africa-pathways-to-relevance-and-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher Education in Africa: Pathways to relevance and impact"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Once it was recognised that higher education was vital for Africa\u2019s development, steps were taken to start increasing higher education enrolment which, several decades ago, was abysmally low at 3% to 5%. Existing institutions doubled or even tripled their enrolment and there was also a large growth in the number of universities in all countries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Currently, there are perhaps some 1,300 recognised tertiary education institutions in Africa, about half of which are private; and the numbers continue to grow.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Although this has resulted in an increase in enrolment, in Sub-Saharan Africa, enrolment on average currently still stands at roughly 11%, which is low compared to the global average of about 38%. Female participation has particularly improved but enrolment in science and technology areas remains low.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As enrolment increased with no commensurate public funding, the threat to quality soon became clear, and addressing quality in higher education in Africa then became the next priority. Significant progress has been achieved on that front and, now, most countries have an agency that is responsible for quality assurance in higher education.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Poor research output was another area that has required critical attention. There has been a significant increase in PhD output, although precise continental figures are not available. Similarly, research publications have increased and most of these have been published in internationally refereed journals. But the number of researchers per million of population in Africa is still low at 198, compared to the global average of around 1,150.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Relevance and impact<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The question that arises, however, is: how relevant and impactful is higher education in Africa at present?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One important metric is employment of graduates. Figures are scarce but it is believed that graduate unemployment (including under-employment) in most countries is high, although the figure varies across countries, the highest being, perhaps, in South Africa. This poses a challenge to most African economies, which expect to experience a youth bulge over the next decades, leading to greater demand for education.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There are several well known reasons for graduate unemployment: mismatch between graduate competencies and industrial or societal needs; poor university-industry linkages; unwillingness of graduates to work in rural areas where development challenges are greatest; and African industries being predominantly SMEs, which have limited absorption capacity for graduates.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

PhD graduates also do not find productive employment outside universities, and there is, equally, the question of the impact of doctoral research on development and policy. Similarly, most researchers in universities aim at publishing their research in refereed journals for self-promotion, and much of the research, often undertaken to suit donors\u2019 requirements, is of little relevance to Africa\u2019s immediate societal challenges.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

African higher education also appears not to be contributing towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets. The latest United Nations Development Programme report on Africa SDGs launched in December 2022 mentions that Africa may not meet several of the SDGs by 2030.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At that launch<\/a>, Vincent O Nmehielle, the secretary-general of the African Development Bank Group, made the following comment: \u201cKnowing the challenges we have, it is important that we look inward and find a way to implement home-grown initiatives to tackle challenges.\u201d This is a clear message to African higher education institutions to prioritise local relevance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Two factors that constrain higher education in Africa in being locally relevant are heavy dependence on donor funding from the North, especially for research and, because of colonial legacy, the tendency to imitate higher education development in the Global North, which is often not appropriate for Africa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Pathways<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It is increasingly becoming clear that quantity and quality cannot be the only metrics used for assessing higher education in Africa: relevance and impact are equally, if not more, important. And there are several pathways to achieving relevance and impact.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

First, African universities must\u00a0compile accurate data<\/strong>\u00a0as these are crucial for policymaking at institutional and national level. There is a dearth of reliable data on higher education in Africa. It is equally important to have research on African higher education carried out by African institutions rather than external ones.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At present, there is hardly any African centre that undertakes research on African higher education, except in South Africa. It may not be possible or necessary to have such a centre in each country but, through university partnerships, it should be possible to set up at least one in each of the sub-regions of Africa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Second, although the importance of\u00a0decolonising African higher education<\/strong>\u00a0has been recognised for decades, little progress has been made besides symbolic actions such as the Rhodes Must Fall movement in South Africa. There is a need for a deeper transformation, although the concept of decolonisation of higher education is admittedly complex and it may mean different things to different people.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In my view, the three main areas that need to be addressed are languages, curriculum and research. The use of local languages must be promoted by developing their orthographies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The curriculum for all academic areas must be revised to reflect African realities and to include indigenous knowledge but, at the same time, the global aspects must not be discarded as African students must not only be African citizens, but, equally, global ones.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And all research undertaken must be of direct relevance to Africa\u2019s development, with the findings widely disseminated in Africa, leading to policy guidelines for governments.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

African universities can learn from the experience of universities in other developing regions such as Asia, Latin America and the West Indies that have undergone a similar colonial past and also face challenges of relevance, graduate unemployment and promotion of indigenous knowledge and local languages. There are hardly any partnerships between African universities and universities in those regions to address such issues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Third, African countries need, for their development, a higher education system that is both\u00a0diversified and differentiated<\/strong>. Most countries have created new public universities in the image of existing ones to increase enrolment and, often, for political reasons while, in several countries, existing polytechnics have been upgraded to universities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A diversified system would comprise a mixture of universities that are research strong, those that prioritise quality teaching or community engagement, and universities specialised in specific areas such as agriculture or health. A differentiated system, on the other hand, would include polytechnics and TVET (technical and vocational education and training) colleges, as well as colleges of education, nursing, arts etc. A diversified and differentiated system would cater for students with different needs and abilities and meet local labour market needs and the requirements of rural areas.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Fourth, African universities must address the issue of\u00a0climate change<\/strong>, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation. Despite its low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, Africa is the most vulnerable continent and climate change represents a major threat to achieving the SDGs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Universities should mainstream climate change in all programmes, and run specialised masters programmes on the effects of climate change in appropriate areas such as agriculture, engineering, architecture, health, and so on, undertake research and provide professional advice to public and private organisations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Several universities have launched masters programmes in collaboration with other universities, but there is still a huge potential for additional initiatives and for creating partnerships with African and non-African universities, which can easily attract international funding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Fifth, African universities should embrace\u00a0artificial intelligence<\/strong>\u00a0(AI), which has been growing rapidly over the past few years and which is now influencing almost all aspects of human life. AI has enormous potential for Africa in areas such as health care, agriculture and climate change.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But AI also poses several threats. It can lead to youth unemployment, which is a major concern in Africa. Also, because AI collects a huge amount of data, this can lead to a violation of data protection and privacy, especially in undemocratic countries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And, in the context of higher education, an AI system such as ChatGPT creates challenges in assessing the genuineness of students\u2019 work. Concern has also been raised that, through AI, \u2018machines are being humanised and humans being dehumanised\u2019, raising ethical and moral issues.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is why African universities must sensitise their university community about AI, highlighting its benefits and potential, but also its threats. Universities should incorporate positive applications of AI in their teaching methodologies, administrative processes and research activities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Universities should also run formal programmes in AI. It is commendable that several of them are already doing so, for example both the University of Technology, Mauritius, and Stellenbosch University in South Africa run an MSc in AI and machine learning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Concluding thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As African universities embark on the pathways to relevance and impact, they must be sure not to reject all Western development, especially in technology, but rather selectively choose relevant developments and adapt them to local needs, bearing in mind that Africa must remain part of the global village and cannot afford to be isolated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

To be both locally relevant and globally tuned is, indeed, an enormous challenge for African higher education. It can overcome this \u2018glocal\u2019 challenge through meaningful and equitable partnerships, which are not just North-South, but also South-South and North-South-South.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Culled from World University<\/strong> News<\/strong><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once it was recognised that higher education was vital for Africa\u2019s development, steps were taken to start increasing higher education enrolment which, several decades ago, was abysmally low at 3% to 5%. Existing institutions doubled or even tripled their enrolment and there was also a large growth in the number of universities in all countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-university-news","category-ahe-news","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3458"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3794,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3458\/revisions\/3794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanhighereducation.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}