Nigeria, 26-28 November 2024
The Going Global Africa conference provided a platform to foster engagement with, and learning about, regional and global challenges in tertiary education and identify ways in which regional and international collaboration can strengthen capacity at system, institutional and individual level, ultimately contributing to improved outcomes for young Africans. The focus was on post-secondary level education, delivered in universities, colleges and specific TVET providers, and the systems within which these institutions operate. The conference theme was ‘Building Sustainable and Relevant Tertiary Education Institutions and Systems in Africa’.
Purpose of the conference
Going Global Africa 2024 had four main objectives:
- LEARN: To promote thought leadership by facilitating the exchange of new evidence and insights from Africa and the UK, including policymakers and sector leaders.
- CONNECT: To create networking opportunities for governments, tertiary education providers, industry, young people and influencers from the region and the UK to engage with ideas and knowledge that tackle shared regional and global challenges
- COLLABORATE: To Explore the establishment of a platform that would enable stronger collaboration and partnerships between higher education institutions within Africa and with the UK.
- SHOWCASE To create opportunities for showcasing new tools, approaches, frameworks and other good practices so that they are adapted and adopted in other settings.
Conference agenda
The conference agenda was designed around the overarching theme of the conference: Building Sustainable and Relevant Tertiary Education Institutions and Systems in Africa.
All sessions (plenary, parallel and learning labs) were aligned to one or more of the following sub-themes:
Sub theme 1: Improving: knowledge and skills development
This sub-theme focussed on issues related to how tertiary education providers – universities, colleges, and others can remain relevant and deliver knowledge, skills and qualifications that meet societal needs and best prepare young people for the future, in a world where labour market requirements are undergoing profound changes. A key area of focus was on the role of skills for employability, entrepreneurship and enterprise development in teaching and learning to enable young graduates to more easily navigate the world of work The sub-theme further interrogated how research and innovation can help to address evolving needs, considering the barriers to institutional and system alignment and factors that could help to accelerate innovation and positive change.
Sub theme 2: Growing the sector: sustainable capacity and widening access
This sub-theme considered the rapid and unpredictable pace of change, reflecting on how tertiary education institutions can grow their capacity and sustain it in line with demand. Sessions focussing on this sub theme deliberated on questions such as: How can tertiary education institutions best mobilise resources toward equitable enrolment and improving quality and relevance of programs? Which fundraising and innovative financing strategies can help institutions withstand shocks caused by heavy reliance on student fees or public funds? How can innovation and research commercialisation contribute to sustainable financing for tertiary education? What role do governance and leadership play in sustainable growth? Should institutional performance and results be regulated or incentivised and, if so, what is the role of governments and regulating agencies in all this?
Sub theme 3: The role of sustainable and equitable international partnerships
Given the diversity of delegates who attended Going Global Africa 2024, a significant part of the programme had a focus on the role of sustainable and equitable international partnerships, which are often seen as part of the toolkit for growth, for building capacity and increasing quality and relevance within tertiary education systems. Key questions that were addressed included: What are the opportunities and challenges that African tertiary education institutions face when working with partners overseas and vice versa? What is the role of funders in this? Can transnational education be offered at scale in Africa and what equitable models – which may operate outside the university sector – can deliver mutual benefits and financial sustainability to the partners? Is there a risk that overseas institutions will seek to export non-contextualised TNE models and, if so, how can this be mitigated? Sessions focussing on this sub-theme further interrogated the role of scholarships, student and researcher exchange and cross-border research collaborations in strengthening Africa’s tertiary education systems.
Read the full list of proceedings and recommendations.