The role of higher Education to Africa's development

 Africa as a continent is beginning to see the light of day.The focus of economic growth is departing from the export of mineral resources to areas of manufacturing, construction and agriculture. Despite this growth, Africa still lags behind in the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index. The Africa Union (AU) is trying to sustain these economic growth in other to bring about human development.

Higher education play an important role in human development. Human development principles is practiced by those who are thought the relevance of human development to nation building. The lack of solid African University structure is one of the reasons for this backdrop.The world bank has previously focused on building a solid primary education in the continent spending a whooping 82% in per capita public spending between 1980 and early part of the 21st century.

Various educationist has argued on the importance of Universities to human development. Manuel Castells, a sociologists wrote a paper with emphasis on " university as the engine of development". Since 2001, the World Bank has started focusing on the importance of Higher education to the development to the Africa continent.

Africa has an estimated 800 universities and about 1,500 higher institutions of learning. Despite this high number, Africa's research output in terms of accredited journal publications is declining from 1% in the mid 1980s to 0.7% in 1990s. One of the reasons for this is the low access to higher education despite the overcrowded lecture theaters.Collaboration between African universities is very low as most African countries maintain a stronger bond to their colonial masters than amongst member countries. 

Education makes people enlightened about the present and makes then positive about the future. University education in its proper form can drive better awareness to human development principles than any other agent of change. Therefore, it is imperative that Africa Universities awaken to their responsibilities and under proper leadership bring about the proper change.