University-industry agri-linkages ‘developing’ and diverse

University and industry partnerships and linkages in Africa hold the future for creating well-paying jobs in different economic sectors, technology transfer and innovative research, according to a study that drew insights from eight universities in the Eastern, Northern and Western regions across the continent.

The study, ‘Unlocking the potential of university-industry collaborations in African higher education: A comprehensive examination of agricultural faculties’, which was published in the journal Industry and Higher Education on 12 May was co-authored by Maria Sassi, associate professor of agricultural economics at Pavia University in Italy and Patience Mshenga, associate professor of agribusiness management at Egerton University in Kenya.

In their analysis, the two scholars explored the prevailing collaboration challenges and benefits of integrating industrial aspects into African agricultural higher education by focusing on case studies drawn from eight universities. Those universities were the University of Abomey-Calavi and the National University of Agriculture in Benin, Egerton University, and Pwani University in Kenya.

The other institutions in the group were Uganda’s Gulu University, Uganda Martyrs University and Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II.

An evolving role for universities

The selected universities are part of the project, ‘Strengthening Agri-Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement Training in East, West, and North Africa’ codenamed AgriENGAGE, which aims to provide cutting-edge training in entrepreneurship and community outreach.

The three-year project that is scheduled to come to an end this year is supported by the Erasmus+, a European Union programme.

According to the two researchers, the project was intended to drive home the idea that the role of universities globally is evolving beyond mere knowledge transfer and is becoming catalysts for nurturing skills, innovation and entrepreneurship essential to societal progress.

“Similarly, industries recognise that their future hinges on a workforce with relevant and up-to-date skills,” stated the study.

In this regard, the universities in the study were selected as they showed commitment to promoting linkages between academia and industry.

Most of their shared practices included internships and industrial attachments, research collaborations, curriculum development, technology transfer, networking, mentoring support and the use of guest lecturers and experts.

However, Sassi and Mshenga noted that each university in the group had distinct priorities and institutional goals meant to achieve specific needs and objectives.

The issue is that, while some universities placed priority on establishing relationships with industries through student internships and field activities, others used the connections to send students to work with industry partners to gain practical experience and insights into real-world applications of their studies.

For instance, Abomey-Calavi, Egerton, Gulu and Uganda Martyrs were found to place a high priority on the employability of their graduates by providing them with practical training opportunities in the industry, while Pwani and Mohammed VI Polytechnic regarded university-industry linkages as avenues for networking and career development for their students and researchers.

But, while cooperation with industry is viewed as a means for students to get practical training, Egerton, Gulu, and Mohammed VI Polytechnic noted that they were motivated to do community outreach, an aspect that showed commitment to serving local communities, especially in agricultural entrepreneurship.

In this context, Gulu stands out as the only university in the group that has established a public relations office linking the university with the community, while Mohammed VI Polytechnic is unique in using digital platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and press releases for its outreach agenda.

Further, while some universities like Pwani and the Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II told Sassi and Mshenga that there are plans to establish structured communication channels on industry linkages, others such as Uganda Martyrs are still in the developmental stages.

Different development stages

What the study shows is that universities in Africa are in different stages of developing partnerships with the industry or promoting community outreach programmes. In a sort of inverted pyramid, Sassi and Mshenga illustrated that university engagement with the industry in terms of developing sustainable scientific and technical cooperation and hiring talented graduates was still in the infancy stages.

However, researchers noted that more universities are getting into research interactions with the industry, while general education interaction between the two parties in terms of field attachment, internship, joint supervision, curriculum development and guest speakers were common in all universities.

Although the study highlights the need for varied approaches toward successful university-industry partnerships in African universities, questions are emerging regarding the scarcity of a well-developed industrial sector to support a viable university-industry collaboration.

Quoting Professor John Ssebuwufu, the former vice-chancellor of Makerere University, the researchers noted that many small or medium-sized private-sector firms in Sub-Saharan Africa cannot support university research and innovation.

Pinpointing other threats to the university-industry linkages in the continent, Sassi and Mshenga spotlighted the prevailing culture of not allocating budget for research in the African industrial sector, as well as universities having limited funding for research, all factors that restrict resources for joint projects.

Intellectual property rights

Researchers noted that, in many instances, industries in Africa are not able to invest in collaborative research while reduced funding of the universities ensures available resources are directed to teaching.

“Some industries also lack proactive innovation approaches or negatively perceive academic research, hindering collaboration,” stated Sassi and Mshenga in the study.

The issue of ownership of intellectual property rights in joint research is also up for debate, while the industry partners are concerned about safeguarding innovation information.

Segun Ogunwale, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Bridgia, a Nigerian start-up that supports employability, innovation and the development of talent pipelines for the world of work in higher institutions, argues that African companies need assurances of the market advantage from innovations resulting from joint research.

Subsequently, the researchers noted there is a need for university-industry collaborations in Africa to put in place robust management of the joint ventures to realise equal benefits. To achieve that objective, Sassi and Mshenga recommended the adoption of the N-tuple Helix Model, a standard of innovation that refers to cooperation between three parties, the university, industry and government.

In effect, what this means is that university-industry linkages should be viewed beyond the perception as alternative avenues for universities.

According to Ssebuwufu, although some universities may have benefited from relations with industry through commissioned research, equipment and scholarships, only a few institutions have been able to capture significant financial gains through industry partnerships.

As Ogunwale pointed out in a blog post that he co-authored with Professor Peter Azikiwe Onwualu, the acting president of the African University of Science and Technology in Abuja, many linkage agreements lack specific deliverables from the partnership and do not result in tangible outcomes in the long term.

“Institutions must move beyond agreement-signing ceremonies to delivering on specifics and this requires articulating the capability of partners and clarity on expectations,” said Ogunwale.

However, despite various shortcomings, Sassi and Mshenga argued that university-industry linkages in Africa have not only increased in number but have provided benefits in terms of governments’ support, growing research demand, and assistance from various international organisations.

There are also indicators that many students have gained entrepreneurial skills through internships and field attachments.

Even under such circumstances, researchers warned that limited public and private funding for research in higher education will continue to restrict initiatives for collaborative projects.

Universities should also evaluate the skills that their students are getting from firms that cannot support research or the ability to impart entrepreneurial skills in specific fields.

The issue is that, although many African universities have entered into partnerships with firms, many of their students appear not to receive the skills, knowledge and training that would prepare them for well-paying jobs.

However, as Sassi, Mshenga and other researchers have pointed out, university-industry collaboration in African universities now requires strategic foresight, adaptability, and effective management to navigate both opportunities and the prevailing threats of such partnerships.