While much progress has been made in African higher education in the past decade, there is an urgent need for comprehensive transformation to enhance its relevance and responsiveness to the realities of countries, the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education agreed. Delegates called for regional quality assurance, greater collaboration, more differentiated systems and more private funding in stepped-up efforts to develop the continent's universities.

"This new momentum can provide a trajectory in the fight against under-development and poverty in Africa," says the final communiqué of the World Conference. "This will demand greater attention to higher education and research in Africa."

Education ministers from across the world pledged increased support for African higher education.

Chinese Education Minister Ji Zhou proposed a new international partnership plan for the continent, and said China will continue its efforts to promote student and academic exchange, upgrade laboratory equipment and develop curricula. China will assist 20 of its elite universities to foster research and teaching partnerships with 20 African universities.

The United States delegation pledged to assist in the creation of centres of excellence in Africa, along with its many current initiatives underway. Minister of Higher Education and Research in France, Valérie Pécresse, called for European student mobility schemes to help more Africans to study abroad and described current initiatives that included supporting ICTs in 26 African universities and a new Franco-South African institute in that country.

The final communiqué said there was a critical need to confront emerging challenges in African higher education relating to gender and racial inequality, academic freedom, brain drain and the lack of preparedness of graduates for the labour market.

"Higher education in Africa should foster good governance based on robust accountability and sound financial principles," it said.

The communiqué lists six areas where action should urgently be taken, based on consensus reached at a Round Table Africa session of the conference. A 'to do' list was drafted by rapporteur Professor Peter Okebukola, President of GUNI-Africa - the Global University Network for Innovation - and former head of Nigeria's National Universities Commission.

First is a call for greater institutional, national and regional collaboration, bringing together teams of researchers and problem-solvers from several institutions. This requires strategies to encourage collaboration, and more support from developed countries. "We must commit to making African higher education an instrument for regional integration."

Second is the need to develop regional quality assurance. The conference endorsed the fast-tracking of an Association of African Universities initiative, with support from UNESCO, to stimulate setting up of national, sub-regional and regional quality assurance systems.

"Staff and student mobility within an African higher education area will be fostered through the active implementation of the Arusha Convention on mutual recognition of diplomas, certificates and degrees," says the communiqué. It also stresses the important role of the Pan-African University in fostering African integration.

Third, to meet rapidly increasing demand for higher education and research in Africa there is "an urgent need for differentiated institutions, ranging from research universities to polytechnics and colleges, and diversified programmes within each institution to cater for different types of learners as well as the needs of the country".

Traditional face-to-face delivery will not alone be able to meet the growing demand for higher education, so African higher education needs to pursue other approaches such as open, distance and online learning, especially in areas such as adult education and teacher training.

Fourth, there must be greater focus on areas of expertise that are crucial for the diversification of African economies but are not receiving sufficient attention, including agriculture, natural resource extraction, the environment, indigenous knowledge systems, health and energy.

"A focus on these areas in higher education can contribute to ensuring the competitiveness of African economies," says the communiqué.

Fifth, while efforts should be made to increase public funding of higher education, resources are limited and so private financing should be encouraged. Other formulas and sources of funding must also be found, especially drawing on the public-private partnership model.

Sixth, students must be given a voice in governance of higher education at all levels.

The great problem of brain drain from Africa is dealt with elsewhere in the communiqué where it calls on countries to develop mechanisms to counteract the negative impact of the brain drain while encouraging student and staff mobility.

The communiqué expressed "deep appreciation" for efforts to support the development of African higher education by several countries and organisations, and welcomed new pledges made by new partners - notably the Republic of Korea, China and India.

karen-macgregor@uw-news.com

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