Research and Innovation in African Higher Education: Trends, Challenges and Prospects

“At a time when the narratives on African higher education seemed to be approaching a cul-de-sac, this book, edited by the versatile higher education scholar Damtew Teferra, opens new ways of understanding recent developments in the African higher education landscape. It signifies the beginning of a robust engagement with research and innovation in African higher education. Using graduate education and the wide range of ongoing innovation in its delivery as entry points, the book updates our knowledge of trends, challenges and opportunities in the emerging landscape of African higher education. The various chapters written by active and engaged scholars and practitioners across the continent and its Diaspora is a call to arms for serious thinking and action in Africa in order to accelerate the growth of research and innovation. It is a must read for scholars, policy actors and all those interested in the most recent trends and dynamics in African higher education.” (Tade Akin Aina, Senior Program Director, Higher Education and Research in Africa Program, Carnegie Corporation of New York, USA)

“Two well-known facts about Africa are first, that despite notable progress made in recent years, the continent remains the least developed region in the world; and second, that Africa still fares poorly in terms of research and innovation output. These two phenomena are closely linked. While there is universal acknowledgement that research and innovation in Africa must be significantly boosted to overcome the development challenges, achieving that objective has so far been somewhat elusive. This is where this book makes a key contribution. By dissecting all the pertinent issues related to promoting research and innovation in higher education in Africa, it throws light on not only the challenges but also on possible solutions and prospects. It is a book that should be widely used not only by researchers on higher education in Africa, but equally by African higher education policy makers and leaders.” (Goolam Mohamedbhai, Former Secretary-General, Association of African Universities and Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Mauritius)

“This book is an impressively curated and authoritative set of contributions from leading experts on the continent’s higher education and research systems. The future of African knowledge-making rests on the shoulders of doctoral researchers, and this book highlights the importance of transformative and impactful graduate education. From infrastructures to internationalisation, from innovation to integrity, Teferra and colleagues set out a detailed agenda for university reform and transformation.” (David Mills, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE), University of Oxford, UK)

‘At a time when the narratives on African higher education seemed to be approaching a cul-de-sac, this book, edited by the versatile higher education scholar Damtew Teferra, opens new ways of understanding recent developments in the African higher education landscape. A must-read for scholars, policy actors and all those interested in the most recent trends and dynamics in African higher education.’ — Tade Akin Aina, Senior Program Director, Higher Education and Research in Africa Program, Carnegie Corporation of New York, USA

‘By dissecting all the pertinent issues related to promoting research and innovation in higher education in Africa, this book sheds light on not only the challenges but also on possible solutions and prospects. It is a book that should be widely used not only by researchers on higher education in Africa, but equally by African higher education policy makers and leaders.’ — Goolam Mohamedbhai, Former Secretary-General, Association of African Universities and Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Mauritius.

‘This book is an impressively curated and authoritative set of contributions from leading experts on the continent’s higher education and research systems. The future of African knowledge-making rests on the shoulders of doctoral researchers, and this book highlights the importance of transformative and impactful graduate education. From infrastructures to internationalisation, from innovation to integrity, Teferra and colleagues set out a detailed agenda for university reform and transformation.’ — David Mills, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE), University of Oxford, UK

This edited book examines the advancement of research and innovation in African higher education. Addressing a wide array of thematic issues such as graduate education, research collaboration, the role of the diaspora, open science and research integrity, the book provides rich perspectives by leading academics and experts. The book will appeal to graduate students and scholars interested in higher education in Africa, as well as university staff, NGOs and policymakers.

Damtew Teferra is Professor of Higher Education at University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.