The University Of Ndam (Darou Alim) Project
In recent years, organizations such
as the World Bank and major donor governments have
conceded that tertiary schooling may have a positive
impact on economic development. There are signs
of progress for higher education in Sub-Saharan
Africa, and some African countries have put in place
innovative policies to strengthen tertiary education
systems. But this progress is limited in comparison
with the progress of other world regions. This may
result from insufficient understanding of the positive
effects that higher education can have on economic
development. The findings of this paper suggest
that more investment in higher education may be
justified, while more research into the role of
higher education in development is certainly warranted.
The State of Higher Education in Africa
Enrollment rates in higher education in Sub-Saharan
Africa are by far the lowest in the world. Although
the gross enrollment ratio has increased in the
past 40 years – it was just 1 per cent in
1965 8 – it still stands at only 5 per cent.9
Enrollment rate growth has been slow in Sub-Saharan
Africa, and the absolute gap by which it lags behind
other regions has increased rapidly. The region’s
present enrollment ratio is in the same range as
that of other developing regions 40 years ago. Moreover,
gender disparities have traditionally been wide
and remain so.
The output of academic research in Africa also remains
weak. In 1995, the region was responsible for just
5,839 published academic papers (South Asia produced
15,995 published papers, and Latin America and the
Caribbean, 14,426). Only the Middle East and North
Africa produced fewer papers than Sub-Saharan Africa,
yet the former’s total had doubled since 1981,
while Sub-Saharan Africa’s had risen by one
third.
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