Higher Education in Africa: Locally Rooted and Globally Competitive

March 12, 2024 – Some of the world’s oldest universities are found in Africa. The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, founded in 859 AD, is recognized by UNESCO as the oldest existing degree-granting university while the Sankore Mosque and University, erected in the 1100s AD in Timbuktu, Mali, is the oldest continuously-operating institution of higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The continent of Africa is home to the world’s oldest and largest number of written languages known to mankind, has birthed numerous discoveries in astronomy and mathematics, as well as medicine (autopsies, brain surgery and anesthesia). Even today’s music and art owe their existence to Africa.

To reestablish an educational ecosystem that is fit for today’s world and will once again provide global leadership in science, research and the arts, requires a two-prong approach: locally rooted and globally competitive.

Locally Rooted

In Saleem Badat’s research on universities, he highlights how colonialism profoundly shaped African universities such that even today, euro-centric contexts are the basis for teaching and research.

It is time to re-root African universities in the geographical, historical, social, economic and political places of their respective countries: one that is firmly anchored in the values of community and Ubuntu as well as local history, nation-building, development, democracy, equality, human rights, justice, rule of law and regional integration.

Research and scholarship should reflect the ever-changing socio-economic and political environments of students’ communities and countries. They should engage with their local communities both intellectually and culturally in order to develop their own intellectual and moral identity as to mature into informed and active citizens.

Globally Competitive

To prepare students to live, work and collaborate on a global scale will require a change of mindset in two areas.

First, stakeholders need a mindset of cooperation and collaboration – not competition. It is in everyone’s best interest – academia, governments, the private sector, non-profits, civil society, students, as well as you and me – to invest in higher education for the long-term and based on local (not foreign) identification of needs and solutions.

The world needs Africa. They need her skilled talent pool as employees in their countries, they need her agricultural products to ensure they have food on their plates; and they need her minerals and natural resources to power their parts of the world.

Second, a different mindset needs to be had around investing. This is much more than simply money to build globally competitive facilities, ensure access to technology and provision of grants or scholarships to students.

French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu highlights that investments in economic capital cannot realize their potential without also investing in social and cultural capital.

Social capital is the community, the relationships, the networks that are built through funding things such as research and staff salaries; collaborative exchange programs with foreign universities; guest lecturers and partnerships with external stakeholders for research opportunities, private sector collaboration, executive education, and short-term certification courses.

Cultural capital are the costs involved in growing and sharing the “place-specific” knowledge, experiences and values of universities in Africa, for African students, taught and administered by Africans. This includes reimagining and redesigning curricula that is inspired by Africa and her cultures, histories and epistemologies as well as taps into the local challenges, opportunities and career options students will embark upon after graduation.

Creating locally rooted and globally competitive higher education institutions will prepare students to be active participants and lifelong learners; cultivating much-needed mindsets for for critical thinking, effective communication, creativity, curiosity, collaboration, problem-solving, adaptability, principled and ethical behavior and resilience

I’d love to work with you in co-creating locally rooted and globally competitive educational tools, resources and courses.

Email me at drdeannedevries@icloud.com and let’s have a virtual coffee and brainstorm how we can impact the future through today’s students.

You can also click here to read more about the content I am creating for undergrad, master and executives that go beyond theory and bring the business, political and leadership worlds to life as I pull from 30+ years working across Africa.

Photo: The University of Sankore, located in Mali, dates back to the 12th century and is one of Africa’s oldest educational institutions. For more, please visit  https://www.hatshepsut.co/university-of-sankore/