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Higher Education in Africa

Issue

“Education, particularly higher education, will take Africa into the mainstream of globalization.”

— John Agyekum Kufuor, President of Ghana

“Contrary to the conventional wisdom that basic education is sufficient for African development, higher education builds the intellectual capital required for sustainable development.”

— Suzanne Grant Lewis, Partnership for Higher Education in Africa

Funding

Nearly 20% of U.S. foundations’ international giving for education in 2007 focused on education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Challenge

How do we ensure African nations are investing in and providing access to post-secondary education?

Strategy

Strengthen a core group of African universities through collective and individual investment

— The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA)

Foundation Supporters of PHEA

Carnegie Corporation of New York
Ford Foundation
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Kresge Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation

Case Study

Bandwidth Consortium

12 African universities and a satellite service provider
Low-cost Internet access to academic institutions, etc.
$10.7 million in funding from Partnership for Higher Education in Africa (PHEA) between 2000 and 2008

Results

Since 2000, the consortium has significantly lowered the cost of high-speed Internet access
Dramatically increased Internet use in teaching, learning, and research

Research Sources

Partnership for Higher Education in Africa

The Bandwidth Consortium: Opening the Power of the Internet to African Universities

The Bandwidth Consortium

"$200 Million Is Pledged for Higher Education in Africa"
New York Times
Celia Dugger
9/17/2005

"Basic Education vs Higher Education - Where Should Support be Going?"
Alliance Magazine
Rohini Nilekani and Suzanne Grant Lewis
3/2009

Come Together: African Universities Collaborate to Improve Bandwidth
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
2005

Viewpoint: Bandwidth Can Bring African Universities Up to Speed
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
2005

Globalisation and Higher Education
Simon Marginson and Marijk van der Wende
2007

Accelerating Catch-Up. Tertiary Education for Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa
World Bank
2009

"The Big Picture In African Colleges"
Vartan Gregorian, President Carnegie Corporation of New York, 5/21/07 Letter to the New York Times
5/27/2007

Philanthropy News Digest

2008: Global Philanthropy Edges Toward Spotlight

Foundations Affirm Commitment to African Universities Beyond

Newsmakers — Susan V. Berresford, former President, Ford Foundation

Kresge Foundation Joins Partnership for Higher Education in Africa