Improving the Relevance of University Training
to Labour Market Demands in Africa
African Technology Policy Studies Network
TECHNOPOLICY BRIEF

NO. 47

Nicholas Ozor
Ernest Nti Acheampong
Alice Sena Lamptey
Dorothy Njagi

Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

1

Improving the Relevance of University Training toLabour Market Demands in Africa
Nicholas Ozor
Ernest Nti Acheampong
Alice Sena Lamptey
Dorothy Njagi
African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a trans-disciplinary
network of researchers, policymakers, private sector actors and the civilsociety promoting the generation, dissemination, use and mastery of Science,
Technology and Innovations (STI) for African development, environmental
sustainability and global inclusion. In collaboration with like-minded institutions,
ATPS provides platforms for regional and international research and knowledge
sharing in order to build Africa’s capabilities in STI policy research, policymaking
and implementation for sustainable development.
Published by the African Technology Policy Studies Network
P O Box 10081, 00100 GPO Nairobi Kenya© 2016
ISBN: 978-9966-030-85-6

Table of Contents
About the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)............................4
About the Association of African Universities (AAU)............................................4
Acknowledgement................................................................................................5
1.0

Introduction................................................................................................6

2.0

Towards a stronger linkage between universities and productive sector.....7

3.0

Factors militating against successful engagement of universities

and productive sector in Africa.............................................................................7
4.0

Existing opportunities for partnerships and collaboration between

universities and the productive sector in frica......................................................9
5.0
Benefits derived from strengthening linkages between universities andproductive sector in Africa...................................................................................9
6.0

Reforms for efficient and sustainable linkages between universities

and the productive sector in Africa.....................................................................10
7.0

The role of government in fostering university-productive sector

linkage in Africa...................................................................................................11
8.0

Conclusion..............................................................................................11

9.0

Recommendations...................................................................................12

ATPS Technopolicy Brief Series..........................................................................13

Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

3About The African Technology Policy
Studies Network (ATPS)
The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a trans-disciplinary
network of researchers, policymakers, private sector actors and the civil society
promoting the generation, dissemination, use and mastery of Science, Technology
and Innovations (STI) for African development, environmental sustainability
and global inclusion. ATPS has over 1,300 members and 3000 stakeholders inover 51 countries in 5 continents with institutional partnerships worldwide. We
implement our programs through members in national chapters established in
30 countries (27 in Africa and 3 Diaspora chapters in the Australia, United Statesof America, and United Kingdom). In collaboration with like-minded institutions,
ATPS provides platforms for regional and international research and knowledge
sharing in order to build Africa’s capabilities in STI policy research, policymaking
and implementation for sustainable development.

About Association of African Universities(AAU)
The Association of African Universities (AAU) is the apex organization and forum
for consultation, exchange of information and co-operation among institutionsof higher education in Africa. It represents the voice of higher education in Africa
on regional and international bodies and supports networking by institutions ofhigher education in teaching, research, information exchange and dissemination.
The AAU mission is to enhance the quality and relevance of higher educationin Africa and strengthen its contribution to African development by: supportingthe core functions of higher education institutions (HEIs); facilitating andfostering collaboration of African HEIs; and providing a platform for discussions
on emerging issues. The AAU envisions itself to be an advocate for higher
education in Africa, with the capacity to assist its member organizations inmeeting national and continental needs.

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Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

Acknowledgement
This Policy Brief was produced by the African Technology Policy Studies
Network (ATPS). The ATPS acknowledges the funding support received fromthe Association of African Universities to implement this project. We also thankall the stakeholders of the ATPS, AAU and Association for the Development of
Education in Africa (ADEA), who participated in this study for their contributions.

Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

51.0 Introduction

African universities are beginning to introduce innovative competent-basedlearning models in order to improve the graduates’ employability, enhance theircapacity to adapt to the constantly evolving working environment and to develop
expertise that meets the labour market demands. This education model seeks toredefine the conventional way of imparting theoretical and empirical knowledge
in diverse study areas by focusing on the aspect of applicability and actionoriented approach, with the view of applying this knowledge in various contexts
and situations. Based on this model, centers of excellence, commercial research
offices, and new curricula are being developed in African universities. The goal
is to create transformational mind-set and other aptitudes to develop competentprofessionals that match demand and requirements of the dynamically evolving
labour market, which is driven by innovation, emerging technologies and newmarket trends. Keeping up with this pace of change is a continuing challenge forlearning institutions in Africa.
While most countries have seen an unprecedented expansion of university
education over the past decades, there is a persistent gap between knowledge
and skills requirements of the productive sector and universities. Currently, African
universities appear to be under-providing scientific and research products andinnovations to the productive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining,
construction, trade services among others. These situations are attributable tolack of effective linkages between university research and productive sector as wellas inadequate capacity, knowledge, and skills required to achieve transformativechanges. Also becoming a worrisome trend is the lack of innovation outputs
and creative skills from universities given that the productive sector is becoming
an increasingly dynamic place requiring highly skilled and creative workforce.
Such poor showing is gradually putting the competitiveness of many universities
across Africa at risk, with several quarters calling into question the quality andadequacy of current academic system and curriculum to meet the capacity andskills requirement of the productive sector.
The move for Africa’s transformation towards a knowledge economy largely restson the capabilities of African universities given that they are mainly responsible forgenerating and diffusing knowledge into the economy, while creating opportunities
for scientific and technological innovations. There is a great potential to achieve
this goal if there are strong linkages between universities and the productive
sector. By establishing strong linkage across the value chain, universities areplaced in a better position to produce enterprising graduates who can innovate
and tap into unexploited opportunities that exist in the productive sector.

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Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

2.0 Towards a stronger linkage between
universities and productive sector
The Africa Commission1 in 2009 called on African countries, regional organizations
and development partners to invest in the creation of better linkages between
university education, research and the productive sector across the value chains.
In line with this call, and in order to improve the relevance and impact of researchand science, African universities are already transforming the way they generate
and transmit knowledge for development. We are seeing a paradigm shift froma ‘knowledge pipeline’ approach to ‘innovation web’ model of knowledge
generation, transmission and utilization. The new paradigm promotes innovation
by improving the flow of technology and knowledge and removing barriers
between actors in the value chains. Many countries are experimenting withvariants of the innovations model in order to improve the relevance of university
research and innovations to the productive sector.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will be home to the world’s largest workforce by theyear 2040, out numbering that of China and India2. As the world’s youngest
continent, with one-quarter of the world’s under-25 population by 2025, there
is an enormous opportunity for economic growth and development or a serious
threat to regional stability and peace in sub-Saharan Africa. The youth bulge
presents African universities with the opportunity to prepare the next generationof creative and innovative workforce that will transform Africa’s productive sector.

3.0 Factors militating against successful
engagement of universities and productive
sector in Africa
While a good level of success has been achieved in the area of university education
and research, the aspect of university’s engagement with the productive sector
still lags behind. There are a number of factors militating against the successful
engagement between universities and the productive sector in Africa. Some ofthese factors include:• Higher education laws and policies in African countries: Prevailing
legislation and policies may potentially facilitate or hamper efforts to improveteaching quality and promote collaboration between universities and othersectors of the economy in Africa. In some countries, the autonomy of1
African Commission Report (2009) Realising the Potential of Africa’s Youth. Report of the African Union
Commission
2
World Bank (2010) Accelerating catch-up: Tertiary education for growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington
DC: The World Bank
Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

7universities may be severely breached by highly centralized policy making
on higher education, thus subverting the learning experience in response topolitical objectives3. Policy centralization limits universities in their response tochanges in knowledge, the labour market, and economic development4. For
example, in countries such as Benin, Cameroon, Madagascar, and Tanzania,
governments play a supervisory role in several aspects of universities’operations. In Benin and Tanzania, the government appoints top university
managers. In Cameroon, the Minister of Education retains supervisory authority
over universities while the Ministry of Education in Madagascar appoints all
faculty members, sets salaries, and determines working conditions, whichlinks faculty members closely to the political system.
• Lack of requisite skills and knowledge by lecturers in the universities:
Researchers and lecturers in most universities and other tertiary institutionsin Africa do not have adequate qualification, skills and practical training tosuccessfully address the challenges of the productive sector in their countries.
This has a major effect on the quality of graduate that are produced in African
universities. Graduates from most African universities lack the required
practical, entrepreneurial and innovation skills to integrate directly into the
productive sector.
• Inadequate infrastructure to support research in African universities:
Lack of infrastructure is one of the major challenges facing universities inAfrica. Universities in Africa cannot compete in a fast moving world of researchand development due to lack of basic infrastructure5. This has led to mass
exodus of scientist and researchers with special skills to the developed world
where their skills can be maximized.
• Lack of dynamic leadership : The leadership structures in universities playa critical role in initiating and enhancing collaboration with the productive
sector. Many universities lack dynamic leadership that understands the trend
in a changing world and can provide leadership that will guide their institutions
to maximize existing opportunities.
• Under-funding in most universities: Public universities in Africa are grossly
underfunded. The lack of effective linkage with the productive constrains
funding support for research and development in universities. In developed
societies, the productive sector plays a crucial role in funding research anddevelopment from universities.
In spite of the numerous limitations in capacity and resources, African universities
produce majority of knowledge outputs on research and innovations in most
3
Oni, S. (ed) (2013) Challenges And Prospects In African Education Systems. Trafford Publishing. USA
4
Bloom, D. E., Canning, D., & Chan, K. (2006) Higher education and economic development in Africa (Vol.
102). Washington, DC: World Bank.
5
Atuahene, F. (2011) “Re-thinking the Missing Mission of Higher Education: An Anatomy of the Research
Challenge of African Universities” in Journal of Asian and African Studies, Vol. 46 (4), 321-341.
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Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

African countries than other higher education institutions. It is no coincidence that
there is a growing demand for more universities and the upgrade of polytechnics
and colleges into technical universities in African countries6.

4.0 Existing opportunities for partnerships
and collaboration between universities andthe productive sector in Africa
In advanced countries, there is an effective partnership and collaboration
between universities and the productive sector. Universities receive substantial
funding from the productive sector to develop their research infrastructure
and to produce innovative research output for the productive sector. For costeffectiveness, industries can outsource research and consultancies to universities
rather than building research infrastructure to carry out their own research. Froma technical and economic point of view, industries have abundant resources andinfrastructure, which can offer universities the platform to undertake researchand training.
African universities can leverage on relevant R&D budget of companies andorganizations to support their research activities. In this way, industries get theopportunity to tap into the knowledge and innovative outputs that are producedby the universities. Through market awareness, the productive sector offers
universities the opportunity to broaden the scope and develop an innovative
market approach as well as enrich their training programs based on market driven
trends and current practices in the productive sector. The productive sector offers
universities access to world-class and important problems in which universities
can create novel ideas and business opportunities, and establish themselves
as the source of knowledge and innovative research outputs. Universities caneffectively capitalize on the opportunities provided by the productive sector forinternship and work placements to consolidate partnerships and collaboration.

6
http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2014/July-14th/turning-polytechnics-into-universities-takes-off-in-2016.
php#sthash.qPwm7s0B.dpuf
Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

95.0 Benefits derived from strengthening
linkages
betweenuniversities
andproductive sector in Africa
Creating more strategic university-productive sector relationship would
substantially improve Africa’s climate for knowledge sharing, collaborative
research and innovation. Through this linkage, African universities can improve
the quality of graduate and academic staff through benefits from alternate funding
from the productive sector for research, scholarship, workforce training, and tobuild state-of-the-art infrastructure. The productive sector provides a platform
for university students to gain valuable experience, enhanced employment
prospects and information by which theories can be propounded. Universities
offer a pool of expertise and consultants for the productive sector to tap into theinnovations and solutions they produced. The emergence of strong collaborative
structures between universities and the productive sectors is nurturing
successful partnerships. For example, in Kenya, Safaricom, the country’s largest
telecommunication company has partnered with the Strathmore University toestablish the -Safaricom Academy - which provides entrepreneurial talent withcertified qualifications and experiential training for students.

6.0 Reforms for efficient and sustainablelinkages between universities and the
productive sector in Africa
In establishing a strong engagement between universities and the productive
sectors, it is necessary to undertake certain reforms. Universities must begin
to transform their academic curricula and programs to reflect the needs andpractices of the productive sector. There is a need for transformation in university
leadership in order to break down barriers inside universities and to embracenovel approach to social and organizational learning and research. Aligning
university’s curricula and programs to the demands of the productive sector
presents universities with better chance of securing funding and undertaking
collaborative projects.
Government funding support universities may not be adequate to forge stronger
university-productive sector linkage, but the establishment of laws regulations
and policies that legally define the framework for collaboration may strengthen
partnerships between universities and the productive sector. Sound policies andlaws such as the provision of tax breaks and incentives for companies to allocate
funding to research funds for universities, among others can alleviate the funding
deprivation of universities.
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Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

In African universities, outputs in the form of innovations, patents and products
have often been considerably low not only because of low investment in researchand development, but the absence of Center of Excellence and innovations. In
the developed world, Center of Excellence and innovations in universities have
served as important channels for university research funding and collaboration
with the productive sector. The establishment of such infrastructure can open
up spaces for university-industry collaborations and strengthen the relevance ofuniversities as knowledge and innovation hubs for both public and private sector
consultations.

7.0 The role of government in fostering
university-productive sector linkage in
AfricaAfrican governments have an important role to play in fostering effective
collaboration and partnerships between universities and the productive sector.
Government regulations, procedures and processes have often createdbureaucracies, which constrain independent decision-making and mutual
relationships between universities and the productive sector. Government
scrutiny and political influences in the management of public university affairs
can potentially create dissatisfaction and uneasiness for closer partnershipamong universities and the productive sector.
Governments in African countries are obligated to facilitate effective partnerships
between universities and the productive sector by restructuring procedures,
policies and regulations to remove barriers to collaborative programs andproject development. To achieve success in this partnership, government mustspearhead an interdependent process to configure the appropriate collaborative
system that identifies a common ground, empower each stakeholder and clearly
define the rights and obligations of the universities and stakeholders in the
productive sector.

8.0 Conclusion
This policy brief aims to inform policymakers, universities and the productive
sector in African countries best policy practices and reforms that would
strengthen the relationship between universities and the productive sector, while
re-echoing the relevance of universities to the productive sector and for nationalsocio-economic development. Universities in Africa have a crucial role to playin producing knowledge, innovations and graduates to meet the demands of
Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

11the productive sector and to address emerging socio-economic challenges
facing Africa. However, efforts to establish universities as dominant knowledge
and innovation hubs for the productive sector is being hampered by a numberof critical factors, which include: low investment in research and development(R&D); lack of centers for excellence, and innovations in African universities;
lack of internship and mentorship opportunities for students in the productive
sector; and poor networking between the productive sector and the knowledge
sector. It is very clear that, establishing strong linkages between universities andthe productive sector has enormous mutual benefits and holds the potential topropel capacity development as well as social economic development. There is a
growing need for African universities to understand the dynamics and need of theevolving Africa society and adjust it curricula, research priorities and operations
to meet the need of the productive sector in the 21st century.

9.0 Policy Recommendations•

Governments in African countries must create a conducive environment andincentives for a prosperous university relationship with the productive sector,
providing policy frameworks for entrepreneurial strategies, appropriate
legislation for intellectual property rights, and funding of research anddevelopment.

•

Universities must strengthen their relevance by aligning their training andresearch to address national and regional challenges and fit developmental
policies such as the recently adopted African Union’s Science Technology
and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024).

•

Strong leadership is critical in the establishment of effective partnership withthe productive sector. In the current era of networking and social learning,leaders of African universities must make industry-university partnerships apriority.

•

There is the need for sustained and continuous investment in research anddevelopment. African universities need a larger base of continuing, longrange academic research programs in areas that interface with the needs andpriorities of the productive sector.

•

African universities must endeavour to undertake reforms necessary toenhance relevance of university education to the labour market in Africa.
These reforms include enhanced communication between universities and the
productive sector; development of programs that build/strengthen institutional
capacity in universities and the productive sector; industry relevant researchand educational system; and improving university curricula to make it more
relevant and demand-driven by the productive sector.

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Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

ATPS Technopolicy Brief Series

7

Developing policies for biodiversity informatics in sub-Saharan Africa (ATPSTechnopolicy brief 46)
Using the Land Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) Mobile Technology for
Agricultural Productivity and Resilience (ATPS Technopolicy brief 45)
Mainstreaming Gender in the National Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)
Policy of Kenya (ATPS Technopolicy brief 44)
Social Innovation: An untapped Resource for Inclusive Green Growth (ATPSTechnopolicy brief 43)
Policy Axes that can uphold Agricultural Innovations for Climate Change
Adaptation & Food Security in Central Africa: Case of Cameroon, Equatorial
Guinea and Central African Republic (ATPS Technopolicy brief 42)
Frameworks for Intellectual Property Protection of Traditional Knowledge inTanzania (ATPS Technopolicy brief 41)
Assessment of Possible Intellectual Property Protection Options of Traditional
Knowledge System in Ethiopia (ATPS Technopolicy brief 40)
Towards influencing National Legislation, Policies, Strategies and Programmes
for appropriate Protection and Benefit-Sharing of Traditional Knowledge (TK)with Traditional Herbalists in Uganda (ATPS Technopolicy brief 39)
Traditional Healers and their provision of Mental Health Services in Cosmopolitan
Informal Settlements in Nairobi, Kenya (ATPS Technopolicy brief 38)
Policy Implications for Intellectual Property Systems for Traditional Healers in
Lesotho (ATPS Technopolicy brief 37)
Incidence of Indigenous and Innovative Climate Change Adaptation Practices
for Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihood Security in Chikhwawa District, Southern
Malawi (ATPS Technopolicy brief 36)
Machobane Farming System and its Relevance to Climate Change Policy inLesotho (ATPS Technopolicy brief 35)
Policy Challenges of Climate Change and Adaptation in Northern Nigeria (ATPSTechnopolicy brief 34)

7

http://www.atpsnet.org/publications/technopolicy_briefs/index.php

Improving the Relevance of University Training to Labour Market Demands in Africa

13

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is atrans-disciplinary network of researchers, policymakers, private
sector actors and the civil society promoting the generation,dissemination, use and mastery of Science, Technology andInnovations (STI) for African development, environmental
sustainability and global inclusion. In collaboration with likeminded institutions, ATPS provides platforms for regional andinternational research and knowledge sharing in order to build
Africa’s capabilities in STI policy research, policymaking andimplementation for sustainable development.

African Technology
Policy Studies Network
Contact the Executive Director at
The Chancery, 3rd Floor, Valley Rd,
P.O Box 10081,00100-Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (254 020) 2714092
www.atpsnet.org

Science, Technology and Innovation
for African Development
ISBN: 978-9966-030-85-6