Policy issues in the harmonisation of quality assurance systems for higher education in Africa

Higher education plays a key role in any country’s economic, scientifc, social and human development. The economically strongest nations are those with the best performing higher education sector. As the producer of knowledge and knowledge workers, higher education has lately assumed an even more important role: assisting countries in developing knowledge economies and being globally competitive (Mohamedbhai 2013). In Africa, it is acknowledged that higher education is the most powerful weapon for poverty alleviation, the promotion of economic growth, the production of skilled human resources, and creating a healthy and enlightened society and self-sufciency in any given nation (Badat 2004). Accordingly, higher education institutions on the continent are a critical source for equalising opportunities and the democratisation of society (Castells 2009). In these institutions, citi-zens are equipped with the vital knowledge and skillsets to develop, including the organizations and institutions they work for. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, desperately needs a strong higher education sector for rapid development (Mohamedbhai 2013). African Union (AU) has acknowledged that no member state can alone offer the full range of world quality higher education affordably and sustainably. Therefore, Africa needed to develop a frame-work for the harmonisation of higher education in Africa.

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Published in: Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003143840-43