Universities need to communicate better

African universities’ contribution to society, and policy formulation in particular, is not sufficiently visible to the general public. This is partly because university scientists and researchers have challenges in communicating the information they gather and the knowledge they generate for informing decision-making and consequently national development, writes Maureen Agena for Daily Monitor.

Universities generate a lot of knowledge through faculty and students’ research, which is needed for society and national development. Universities are also engaged in community outreach and provide social services to society. Because of the increasing need for information and the existing communication gap between what universities do and the demands of the communities and countries they serve, universities continue to be labelled as ‘ivory towers’ or irrelevant to community or national development.

At international level, African universities are competing to be world class, yet African universities continue to lag behind in global rankings. While university top management is responsible for making strategic decisions on how the universities should operate, it is the role of public relations and communication officers to package their universities as successful institutions worth investing in.
Full report on the Daily Monitor site