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Declaration on the African University in the Third Millennium
01 February 2001
Organisation: Association of African Universities
Education for change in the developing countries, particularly in Africa, has never been as critical as it is today. Besides the perennial issues of relevance inadequacy of resources, explosion in enrolment and demand for access, African education confronts the challenge of the “knowledge revolution” and globalisation, phenomena fuelled by the rapid advances in knowledge, most of which is produced outside Africa. These are matters in respect of which higher education, as the principal venue for knowledge creation and dissemination, occupies a very special place. Additionally, higher education has the function of fostering the capacity of individuals and communities to embrace democratic principles, to uphold human rights and to promote sustainable development. For these and other reasons, higher education must receive the support the sustainable development of the region.
When the Association of African Universities (AAU) was established in 1967, its membership was only 34. Today the Association has grown into a body of more than 170 universities, drawn from 43 countries. The Association provides a platform for reflection, consultation, debate, co-operation and collaboration on issues and projects of interest and benefit to its membership and to African development. Over the years, this has contributed to the enhancement of the capacity of African universities for teaching, research and service to their communities and nations. It has also facilitated a constant review of their performance and role in the socio-economic and political development of their individual nations and of the African continent as a whole.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, higher education in Africa experienced serious setbacks. Higher educational institutions suffered neglect as a result of reduced resources in most African countries and the low priority given to it by African governments. Under-funding, the deterioration of basic academic and research infrastructure, unsatisfactory terms and conditions of service for university staff and the persistent brain drain were the inevitable result. These problems have not only adversely affected the quality of higher education provided by the universities but also have had a negative effect on the overall development of African countries.
Thirty-four years after the establishment of the AAU, three years after the Dakar “Declaration and Action Plan on Higher Education in Africa: two years after the “World Declaration on Higher Education for the 21st Century”, and at the beginning of the Third Millennium, African universities have had the opportunity to examine the emerging trends in higher education, especially the impact of information and communication technologies. They have reflected on the problems of their institutions, with a view to enhancing their contribution to the socio-economic development of the continent. The start of the Third Millennium provides African universities and the AAU an opportunity for redefining their vision, mission and role, as well as for re-examining the role of government, students and other stakeholders in the development of universities in Africa.
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