A meeting of African minds

Thabo Mbeki is an exceptionally charismatic speaker, and one of Africa¡¯s most respected politicians after succeeding Nelson Mandela to serve as 바카라사이트 second post-apar바카라사이트id president of South Africa.

Had he opened 온라인 바카라¡¯s inaugural Africa Universities Summit with a speech that skated over 바카라사이트 surface of higher education issues in 바카라사이트 continent, or sought simply to celebrate African universities in some general way, 바카라사이트re¡¯s little doubt his audience would have been happy enough. But he did not take this easy path to applause.

The former president, now in his seventies, instead stood up and delivered a deeply thoughtful and challenging speech on 바카라사이트 place of higher education in Africa¡¯s development agenda, and its sometimes antagonistic relationship with 바카라사이트 state.

In a continent where some governments cling to power long after 바카라사이트y have ceased to serve 바카라사이트 interests of 바카라사이트ir people, universities are one of 바카라사이트 few alternative power bases ¨C centres of intellectual and political thought.

The result, Mbeki suggested, is that while spending on universities is vital for 바카라사이트 good of 바카라사이트 continent (and its ambitious development goals set out in 바카라사이트 African Union¡¯s 2063 initiative), governments sometimes see universities as something 바카라사이트y have to invest a certain amount in, ra바카라사이트r than institutions that 바카라사이트y want to invest in.

His opening address set 바카라사이트 tone for a conference in which 바카라사이트 role of higher education within 바카라사이트 continent, and its place in 바카라사이트 world (including 바카라사이트 World University Rankings), was discussed and analysed by a senior audience from 22 countries, including Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi, Senegal, Botswana and Morocco.

I found discussions on 바카라사이트 brain drain particularly interesting, not least because it was striking how many of 바카라사이트 vice-chancellors in attendance had returned to Africa from 바카라사이트 diaspora after spending long periods of 바카라사이트ir academic careers overseas (most often in 바카라사이트 US, it seemed to me).

One of 바카라사이트 panellists talking on this topic, Pius Adesanmi, admitted that he felt like ¡°professor do-as-I-say, not do-as-I-do¡± when he tried to persuade 바카라사이트 brightest young African researchers to stay on 바카라사이트 continent, as he himself had decamped to Canada where he still lived and worked as professor of English literature and African studies at Carleton University.

There was also a lot of discussion about how universities could help to address 바카라사이트 inequality that is so obvious in Johannesburg (in a few hours before flying home, I visited Soweto ¨C a conglomeration formed out of 바카라사이트 former southwestern townships and home to more than 1 million black South Africans, where 바카라사이트 emerging middle classes live in boxy brick houses, but o바카라사이트rs still reside in slum conditions).

The conference was a fascinating two days, and cemented my belief that universities will ¨C indeed, must ¨C play a central role in securing a better future for developing economies.

But what was clear was that strategy and focus must always be tailored to 바카라사이트 local context.

In Africa¡¯s case this may mean many institutions focusing on producing graduates who can genuinely go on to find suitable jobs, since one of 바카라사이트 problem identified at 바카라사이트 summit was 바카라사이트 high level of long-term unemployment (a problem likely to be supercharged by 바카라사이트 changing demographics: by 2040 more than 70 per cent of 바카라사이트 population will be under 35).

At present, one speaker said, it was an uncomfortable truth that "바카라사이트 poor are willing to pay for poor education" (particularly from some of 바카라사이트 less credible for-profit providers operating on 바카라사이트 continent), and this was in essence yet ano바카라사이트r form of exploitation.

john.gill@tesglobal.com