Mainstreaming Gender in Higher Education in Africa

Higher Education and Economic Development in Africa

L’Enseignement supérieur et le développement économique en Afrique

---

Communiqué - International Conference on Accreditation, Quality Assurance and Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education in Africa

---

Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work! September 23-25, 2003
Conveners
Association of African Universities, ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, Ghana National Council for Tertiary Education, and the World Bank.

Final Report (English 347 KB and français 416 KB)

Conference Documents (English and français)

List of Participants 241 KB

---

Considering the gravity of the HIV/AIDS situation on the African continent, institutional policies and interventions related to HIV/AIDS are the Working Group on Higher Education (WGHE) central theme and will continue to be for the next several years. Since 2001, WGHE has encouraged tertiary institutions in Africa to develop institutional HIV/AIDS policies and has funded a set of 6 of such policies, which contain recommendations to the institution’s governing bodies concerning institutional responses to the threat of the epidemic. The policies developed also focus on building management capacities, awareness programs and care and support services.

Highridge Teachers College NairobiI, Kenya—HIV and AIDS Policy

University of Botswana, Botswana, HIV/AIDS Policy

The Mombasa Polytechnic HIV/AIDS Policy

Politique Institutionnelle en matière de VIH/SIDA dans les Universités du Togo

---

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Strategic Plans

The rapid emergence of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) development in Africa has generally not been given full consideration in the strategic planning process, which has been a primary focus of the Working Group on Higher Education (WGHE) of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) for several years since its establishment in 1989. Between the years 2000-2003, WGHE encouraged universities to develop and integrate ICT Strategic Plans within institutional Strategic Plans by funding pilot initiatives. The two institutions which received WGHE funding (University of Namibia and National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) successfully completed their ICT strategic plans and have confirmed that the grant they received and the process of the policy development has been most beneficial to their institutions and the individuals who were involved. WGHE continues to encourage tertiary institutions in Africa to seek independent support to develop ICT Strategic Plans and to ensure that the ICT plans are integrated in the institutions’ Strategic Plans.

ICT Strategic Plan for the National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

---

Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa with Specific Reference to Universities

Regional Survey of Innovations in Higher Education: Synthesis Report

By Dr. Njuguna Ng’ethe, Dr. N’dri Asssié-Lumumba, Dr. George Subotzky and Esi Sutherland-Addy.
ADEA Working Group on Higher. Education, 2003.
The survey sought to identify and document higher education innovations currently underway in Africa. Its purpose was to identify significant innovations at three distinct levels of systems, institutions and faculties and in six areas deemed critical to the transformation of higher education in Africa namely; responsiveness to societal needs, strategic planning, financing, governance, curricula reform and human resource development. It was commissioned in mid-2000 with funding from the Carnegie, Ford, MacArthur and Rockefeller Foundations. A majority of the case studies presented at the Tertiary Education Conference (23rd–25th September 2004) on the theme Improving the Tertiary Education in Africa: Things that Work! had been identified through this WGHE-commissioned survey.

Nkumba University HIV/AIDS POLICY
Approved by the Thirty-Seventh Senate of Nkumba University on December 13, 2002

Challenging the Challenger
Understanding and Expanding the Response of Universities in Africa to HIV/AIDS
prepared by M. J. Kelly
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, 2001.
Also exists in French.
The failure of many African universities to recognize and confront the HIV/AIDS crisis on their campuses means the loss of hard-won development gains and crippling prospects for the future. This report eloquently documents this “conspiracy of silence.” It draws upon the results of 7 case studies of universities in 6 countries: Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia. It seeks to understand how the disease is affecting African universities and to identify responses and coping mechanisms that might usefully be shared with sister institutions in similar circumstances. The report closes by outlining a two-pronged strategy for African universities to consider in shaping their own responses to HIV/AIDS.

Directory to Donor Assistance for African Higher Education
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, 2001.
Also exists in French.
This directory is based on a survey of development partners and assistance agencies active in sub-Saharan Africa. It provides information on 32 donor agencies, their general goals, type of assistance provided, beneficiaries, contacts, and more. It is intended for and is particularly useful to members of African universities and ministries of education, as well as all those seeking concise comparative information on the range of donor priorities and possibilities for assistance in the field of higher education.

USHEPiA
Building a Research Capacity Network in Africa
by Martin West and Lesley Shackleton
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, 1999.

USHEPiA, is a successful South-South capacity building network experience in the area of science, engineering and the humanities. The initiative, led by the University of Cape Town, involves a number of partner universities in East and Southern Africa. The program seeks to foster research capacity and collaboration amongst African researchers in order to build institutional and human capacities. Since its inception in 1995, the program has awarded 39 fellowships. This report examines the origins of the project, from its conception, to its operation and identifies several achievements. It provides a critical analysis of the successes, and lessons learned as an attempt to incite or encourage ways of developing African research capacities using a network of institutions.

Reforming a National System of Higher Education
The Case of Cameroon
by Dorothy L. Njeuma, Herbert N. Endeley, Francis Fai Mbuntum, Nalova Lyonga, Dennis L. Nkweteyim, Samuel Musenja, and Ekanje Elizabeth
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, 1999.
Also exists in French.

The higher education system of Cameroon experienced a series of reforms from the 1960’s to the 1990’s. The most recent reform, was designed to provide quality education at a more manageable scale. This involved several important adjustments in the areas of accessibility, quality education, and capacity-building, and introduced new challenges such as developing information technology and experimenting with distance learning. This report provides a succinct account of the process and impact of the reforms on the higher education system in Cameroon.

Promoting Access, Quality and Capacity-Building in African Higher Education
The Strategic Planning Experience at Eduardo Mondlane University
by Peter Fry and Rogéro Utui
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, 1999.

During the 1990’s, strategic institutional reforms were introduced at Mozambique’s Eduardo Mondlane University. These reforms were intended to expand access to higher education, improve the quality of university teaching and research, and strengthen capacities for institutional planning, program implementation, performance monitoring and output evaluation. This report analyzes the efforts made in carrying out the reforms, takes into consideration the historical and political background, and presents the problems and prospects under which the planning process evolved.

Tertiary Distance Education and Technology in Sub-Saharan Africa
by William Saint
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, 1999.
Also exists in French.

This paper addresses the question of how African nations might improve the balance between tertiary education, access, and funding, without further sacrifices in quality. It provides a rationale for the potential benefits of tertiary distance education, which can increase educational access and improve quality, while being cost efficient. This rationale is backed up by the use of facts and statistics from distance and tertiary education efforts in numerous countries..

Tertiary Distance Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa
Overview and Directory to Programs
by Roberts & Associates
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education, 1998.
Also exists in French.

Tertiary Distance Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa is an overview and directory of tertiary level distance learning programs in Africa. The report also describes the current status of tertiary distance learning in Africa, drawing upon papers presented at the eleventh meeting of the Working Group on Higher Education held in Saint Louis, Senegal, October 20-22, 1997.

Revitalizing Universities in Africa
Strategy and Guidelines
Prepared by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the World Bank.
ADEA Working Group on Higher Education. World Bank, 1997.
Also exists in French.

Universities in Africa have suffered several constraints due to internal and external factors. They have been greatly affected by a growth in enrollment rates which have overpowered financial capacity. Although there is an abundance of literature on strategies to revitalize African universities, there is hardly any systematic documentation that provides guidance for African universities, governments, donors, and the World Bank on how to improve the quality of African universities.

This report gives practical strategies and guidelines for improving the quality of African universities by internal initiatives through planning. It recommends that governments recognize their universities as important resources, and donor agencies reconsider their stance with regard to investment in higher education.

Strategic Planning at Selected African Universities
by Donald Ekong and Patricia Plante.
Association of African Universities, 1996.
Also exists in French.

Revival and Renewal: Reflections on the Creation of a System of Tertiary Education in Ghana
by Esi Sutherland-Addy.
AFTHR Technical Note, The World Bank, 1995.

The University in Africa in the 1990's and Beyond
Summary report of a colloquium jointly organised by the Association of African Universities and the DAE Working Group on Higher Education, Accra, Association of African Universities, 1995.

Demand, Access, and Equity Issues in African Higher Education: Past Policies, Current Practices, and Readiness for the 21st Century
by N'dri ThÈrËse AssiÈ-Lumumba.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

Adequate and Sustainable Funding of African Universities
by JosÈ Negrao.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

The Emerging Role of African Universities in the Development of Science and Technology
by G.T.G. Mohamedbhai.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

Governance Issues in African Universities: Improving Management and Governance to Make African Universities Viable in the Nineties and Beyond
by Rudo Barbra Gaidzanwa.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

Enhancing Linkages Between African Universities, the Wider Society, the Business Community and Governments
by Kilemi Mwiria.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

Universities in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities of International Cooperation
by Berhanu M. Abegaz.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

Quality and Relevance: African Universities in the 21st Century
by Tade Akin Aina.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

Beyond the Fragments: Donors' Reporting Systems at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique and the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
by David Wield.
1994.

The Future Missions and Roles of the African Universities
by Geremie Sawadago.
Association of African Universities, 1994.
Also exists in French.

Staff Loss and Staff Retention at Selected African Universities
by Robert Blair and Josephine Jordan.
AFTHR Technical Note No. 18, The World Bank, 1994.

Building Consensus for Higher Education Reform in Africa: Some Reflections
by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman.
Africa Technical Department, The World Bank, 1993.

Higher Education in Francophone Africa: Assessment of the Potential of the Traditional Universities and Alternatives for Development
by N'Dri ThÈrËse Assie-Lumumba.
AFTHR Technical Note No. 5, The World Bank, 1993.
Also exists in French.

Financial Diversification and Income Generation at African Universities
by Robert D.D. Blair.
AFTED Technical Note, No. 2, The World Bank, 1992.

University Governance: Problems and Perspectives in Anglophone Africa
by Kilemi Mwiria.
AFTED Technical Note, No. 3, The World Bank, 1992.

Universities in Africa: Strategies for Stabilization and Revitalization
by William S. Saint.
Technical Paper No. 194, The World Bank, 1992.
Also exists in French.

A Consultation on Higher Education in Africa by Trevor Coombe.
The Ford Foundation, 1991.

Study on Cost-Effectiveness and Efficiency in African Universities
Association of African Universities, 1991.

WGHE Meeting Reports

WGHE Steering Committee Meeting
(Lomé, 26 - 28 Septembre 2003)

WGHE Steering Committee Meeting
(Accra, June 4-5, 2002)

Challenging the Challenger
Understanding and Expanding the Response of Universities in Africa to HIV/AIDS
By Kelly, M.J.
ADEA Working Group on Higher. Education, 2001.
Also exists in French.
The failure of many African universities to recognize and confront the HIV/AIDS crisis on their campuses means the loss of hard-won development gains and crippling prospects for the future. This report eloquently documents this ìconspiracy of silence.î It draws upon the results of 7 case studies of universities in 6 countries: Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia. It seeks to understand how the disease is affecting African universities and to identify responses and coping mechanisms that might usefully be shared with sister institutions in similar circumstances. The report closes by outlining a two-pronged strategy for African universities to consider in shaping their own responses to HIV/AIDS.

Directory to Donor Assistance for African Higher Education
Compiled by Diagne, Mactar
ADEA Working Group on Higher. Education, 2001.
Also exists in French.
This directory is based on a survey of development partners and assistance agencies active in sub-Saharan Africa. It provides information on 32 donor agencies, their general goals, type of assistance provided, beneficiaries, contacts, and more. It is intended for and is particularly useful to members of African universities and ministries of education, as well as all those seeking concise comparative information on the range of donor priorities and possibilities for assistance in the field of higher education.

WGHE Steering Committee Meeting
(Arusha, October 7, 2001).

WGHE Steering Committee Meeting
(Nairobi, February 10, 2001).

13th Meeting of the Working Group
(December 1-3, 1999, Abuja, Nigeria).
Themes: Higher Education in Nigeria; New Technologies for Teaching and Learning; Role and Mission of WGHE; AAU Progress report

African Regional Networks for Graduate Training and Research
(November 3-5, 1998, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso).

Tertiary Distance Learning in Africa
(October 20-22, 1997, St. Louis, Senegal).