Empowering African Universities

By Toyin Falola

I cannot adequately thank Dr. Takyiwaa Manuh, a top-rank policy scholar and analyst, Emirata Professor of the University of Ghana, former Director of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, and former Director of the Social Development Policy Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa for instigating the conversation that made possible this address to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. From finding the funds to buy the ticket, making hotel arrangements, and various negotiations complicated by my busy schedule, this distinguished professor and administrator was patient and friendly. I also thank the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences for creating a project on Higher Education and allowing me to address them on November 28, 2024. The rewards of my colleagues will not be located only in heaven but on earth! I am glad they tolerated me for imposing this topic on them.

            As a scholar of decolonization, I must start where the shoes begin to pinch us. Colonialism is the cankerworm that has disintegrated Africa and obstructed the continent’s progress. Colonialism hinders the continent’s ability to realize its full potential and complicates the effective utilization of its abundant human and natural resources for progress. The continent can rediscover itself by improving the education sector, decolonizing it, and putting a new generation of well-trained youth into transformation projects.

The leaders of Africa have recognized that education, significantly higher education, is a vital instrument for developing content. They have formulated several policies and initiatives to enhance education. However, these have not always materialized into action, and it has been a major problem. Several policies have been made but have not been implemented to meet expectations. Instead of improving the education sector, many of the past leaders of the continent sought knowledge from universities and researchers outside Africa. The ideas of the IMF and the World Bank are treated far better than those of their scholars. There is an urgent call for this to stop.

African governments need to understand that universities are essential organs that will aid the growth and development of the continent. Empowering the universities is vital as they have been ignored for so long. Through teaching, research and innovation, universities should be able to promote the growth of Africa. The campuses should serve as the best repository of knowledge for their local communities, the continent, and the world at large. The universities will place Africa on the international radar if adequately utilised and empowered.

            With a growing population estimated to reach over 830 million by 2050, this youth demographic is Africa’s greatest asset. If adequately leveraged, they could drive economic growth across the continent. Africa is expected to continue seeing a rise in its youth population; this presents an opportunity to harness working-age human resources in places without policies to use these resources, leading to high employment levels. When youths face an economy lacking job-creating capacity, it can threaten social cohesion as many of them will be forced to migrate in search of greener pastures. Given this economic uncertainty, seeking alternatives and exploring potential solutions to the massive youth unemployment problem has become imperative. This effort has renewed focus on the tertiary institutions. Many higher learning institutions are no longer producing employable graduates as they are often minimal skill-wise and would require additional training, which most employers choose not to give because of extra costs. Also, universities should spend resources on training job creators instead of just training job seekers by leaning more towards entrepreneurial and innovative training.

Generation Z, popularly known as ‘Gen Z’, comprises those born between 1998 and 2010 who face difficulties in the job market. A survey by Resume Builder in 2023 showed that Gen-Z workers are entitled and show a lackadaisical attitude to work, while Gen-Z, on the other hand, accuses business owners of lacking understanding and not adapting to the digital world. There is an impending doom looming over the labour market because it has been estimated that by 2025, this generation will dominate the workforce. However, the situation is still savable as African Universities have started introducing networking events, programs and innovative forums to bridge the gap between the demand of the labour market and the quality of graduates they produce. Considering this, a remedial programme was started by The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. The program tagged “The WorkReady Gen Z” is an initiative designed to build and empower university students with quality and essential skills needed to strive in the workforce. It is built to help them succeed in their workplaces and grow into future leaders. Prime Progress reported that earlier this year, the International School of Advertising (ISA) Africa collaborated with a science firm to host a Forum at the University of Nairobi in March. The forum, an apprenticeship program, was tagged “Marketing in a Gen Z World”. It is an attempt to build up on the positive attributes of this generation.

            The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), founded in 1945, has been a giant of education. UNESCO has helped make education more accessible in the world. Africa has less than 1% of the world’s research, according to UNESCO. Research and education are keys to sustainable development. The organization has aided the availability and accessibility of education worldwide. According to UNESCO, Africa contributes less than 1% of the world’s research. Research and education are generally considered to play critical roles in sustainable development. Therefore, Africa is charged with enhancing the capacity of tertiary institutions and increasing research outcomes. Thus, UNESCO’s Operational Strategy for Priority Africa 2022-2029 and the organization’s Education programme are introduced to strengthen the access and quality of higher education in Africa. The Campus Africa Flagship Programme aims to foster inter-university collaboration in the continent to facilitate collaborative research, support joint research programmes, and provide research grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The program also aims to pay extra attention to education. The QS Africa Summit aims to empower African youths by integrating entrepreneurship skills and training them to use AI/technology. Africa is believed to unlock its people’s potential only through education and utilising technology’s power for sustainable development.

            Western theories still dominate most of the academic literature in Universities in Africa. This has brought concern about the effectiveness of the higher education curricula in solving real problems of local societies in this region. Simply put, education will not respond to the societal needs of African people if it is mainly based on Western theories and analysis. A way of evolving past these might prove problematic, but it also presents the schools opportunity for research. Tailoring education to current societal needs involves close interactions with authorities from all levels of government, private stakeholders and academic associations.

Knowledge development certainly has a lot of issues that can be addressed. More than being learning institutions, Universities are potential catalysts and drivers for change and growth in all aspects of society. They provide graduates with knowledge and skills to contribute to the community’s economy. Also, they encourage innovation, new ideas, and entrepreneurial research. To meet these needs, the Innovation for African Universities (IAU) was designed by the British Council as a part of a global partnership programme to foster the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. The Nigerian partnership network, with 24 partners, has created six projects in various universities.

            Higher learning institutions across Africa must be empowered to fill the gap in the development of human resources across the continent. Higher institutions play a vital role in encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship and are responsible for cultivating creativity through quality training and research. This will trigger regional growth and development, creating millions of jobs. It will also build the region’s economy, reduce poverty and food security, and improve health.

The governments should decolonize the curriculum of African institutions. These tertiary institutions should be empowered to conduct research relevant to society’s needs. The learners should be taught to be innovative and become problem-solving individuals. Schools should adopt technological innovations in teaching and promote vocational training. All disciplines should be given attention, including the recently inaugurated African Ancestral Studies. There is also a compelling need for collaboration among African universities to promote the growth and development of the continent further.

PS: Excerpt of paper presented to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, November 28, 2024