Higher Education Partnerships: Experiences and Impact in Sub-Saharan Africa

Tertiary-level human capital in Africa, particularly in sub- Saharan Africa (SSA), is extremely low and, when available, it is variable in terms of quality and competitiveness. African countries are facing challenges related to ineffective institutional infrastructures and dysfunctional systems. Higher education is one of the most effective mechanisms to solve development challenges. However higher education in SSA faces several challenges including limited access, poor quality and relevance of programs and curricula, weak governance to financial constraints, poor infrastructures and facilities, weak research and innovation capacities, critical shortage of and aging faculty, and lack of focus on problem solving. Furthermore, African higher education institutions are generally plagued by weak governance, leadership and management capacities. Higher education partnerships are cost-effective and sustainable mechanisms of developing and building institutional and human capacities to solve cross-sectoral development challenges. The Higher Education for Development (HED) partnership model enhances human and institutional capacity building through international collaborations between U.S. and overseas higher education institutions. This paper demonstrates the crucial contributions of mutually beneficial and problem-solving partnerships in addressing a wide range of development challenges in SSA. Partnerships provide improved teacher training to local schools and better-prepared health workers, build capacity that enables quick response to zoonotic disease outbreaks, build solar panels for rural communities or build capacity to improve disaster risk management and food security capabilities. The paper concludes that well-designed, monitored and supported collaborations of higher education institutions have a farreaching impact on problem solving and development in SSA.