As was touched upon above, a primary purpose of education in the twenty-first century must be to familiarize the student with not just the techniques of a profession, but also with the technology that has been incorporated into that profession. Moreover, ICTs offer the potential to strengthen conventional education, and are rapidly transforming distance education. Even universities administrative functions can be revolutionized by the ICTs developing around us - it is fair to say that there is a great deal of work to be done. It is worth noting that there has been some real progress in the development of systems of distance education - particularly in South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Zambia. While reviews and studies of these programs have been very positive, however, it remains difficult to assess their overall effectiveness.
Universities are among societies most complex organizations.
They are intrinsic parts of the fabrics of national society, and the complexity of African universities is amplified by the complexity of African nations and development problems. All the knowledge gained over decades of experience in organizational reform will be needed to effect the changes in African universities required to adequately utilize new and expanded information and communications infrastructure. Notably, regional virtual universities have been created. Working in partnership, Africans and donors can make a difference.