Developing and Promoting Multi-lateral South - South Higher Education Institute Research in Africa

Morse, Tracy (2011) Developing and Promoting Multi-lateral South - South Higher Education Institute Research in Africa. Africa Academy for Environmental Health, online.

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Abstract

The African Unions’ (AU) vision for African HEIs to become ‘a dynamic force in the international arena’ under the harmonisation of higher education programmes in Africa, fits in directly with the objectives of the Africa Academy for Environmental Health. The AU seeks to identify innovative forms of collaboration, to facilitate mobilisation of students, graduates and academic staff across Africa, and to ensure that this is an African driven process, among other areas. One of the key areas in the development of the African continent is the establishment of research based policy development. Historically, many policy makers have tended to rely on external experts and institutions to undertake much of this research, and African HEIs have sought partnerships with European and North American institutions rather than those within the continent. This has led to a significant decline in both the quality and quantity of research outputs from African Universities due to lack of belief, time, funding and resources. As such, instead of African led research, many academics undertake consultancies which are often driven by external donors. This also means that, in many cases, research does not address the African context of the work, or more pressing issues which need to be addressed and effectively utilised in policy development.

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