Erasmus+, Capacity building in higher education (CBHE) action : regional report : African Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP).
Date: 2020-12-17
Institutions: European Education and Culture Executive Agency
Subjects: ACP countries, EU financing, education policy, educational reform, higher education, learning technique, regional cooperation, report, research project, social integration, structural adjustment, teaching curriculum, teaching method

Erasmus+
Capacity Building in  
Higher Education (CBHE) action 

Regional Report  
African Caribbean and Pacific 
Countries (ACP)

Education,  
Audiovisual 
and Culture  
Executive Agency

More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu).

Luxembourg : Publications Office of the European Union, 2020 

PDF  

ISBN : 978-92-9484-365-4 

    doi : 10.2797/769703    

      EC-02-20-938-EN-N

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Erasmus+
Capacity Building in  
Higher Education (CBHE) action 

Regional Report  
African Caribbean and 
Pacific Countries (ACP)1 

1   The ACP Group consists of 79 Member-States, all of them, save Cuba, signatories to the Cotonou Agreement which binds them to the European Union: 48 

countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, 16 from the Caribbean and 15 from the Pacific.  
The following countries belong to ACP: Angola - Antigua and Barbuda - Belize - Cape Verde - Comoros - Bahamas - Barbados - Benin - Botswana - Burkina 
Faso - Burundi - Cameroon - Central African Republic - Chad - Congo (Brazzaville) - Congo (Kinshasa) - Cook Islands - Cote d'Ivoire – Cuba* - Djibouti - Dominica 
- Dominican Republic - Eritrea - Ethiopia - Fiji - Gabon - Gambia - Ghana - Grenada - Republic of Guinea - Guinea-Bissau - Equatorial Guinea - Guyana - Haiti 
- Jamaica - Kenya - Kiribati - Lesotho - Liberia - Madagascar - Malawi - Mali - Marshall Islands - Mauritania - Mauritius - Micronesia - Mozambique - Namibia - 
Nauru - Niger - Nigeria - Niue - Palau - Papua New Guinea - Rwanda - St. Kitts and Nevis - St. Lucia - St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Solomon Islands - Samoa 
- Sao Tome and Principe - Senegal - Seychelles - Sierra Leone - Somalia - South Africa - Sudan - Suriname - Swaziland - Tanzania - Timor-Leste - Togo - Tonga 
- Trinidad and Tobago - Tuvalu - Uganda - Vanuatu - Zambia – Zimbabwe.  
* Cuba is financed by DCI (Development Cooperation Instrument) whereas the other ACP countries are financed by the EDF (European Development Fund).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT

2. INTRODUCTION

3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY 

3.1. Institutional Development    

3.1.1. Curricula Reform
3.1.2. Technological Upgrade 
3.1.3. Governance and Management Reform
3.1.4. HEI International strategies

3.2. Broadening Horizons for Individuals

3.2.1. Academics
3.2.2. Students 
3.2.3. Administrative Staff 
3.2.4. Entrepreneurs/Employers

4. REGIONAL COOPERATION AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT

4.1. Regional Cooperation 

4.2. National Education Reforms 

5. INCLUSIVENESS

5.1. People with Fewer Opportunities

5.2. Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

5.3. Institutions Located in less developed regions

6. CONCLUSIONS - CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

6.1. Challenges 

6.2. Recommendations

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT

1.  AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE 

REPORT

This report is based on the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency’s evaluation of 
the first nine interim reports of the second generation of the CBHE projects selected for funding in 
2016, which was when the programme opened for first time to the African Caribbean and Pacific 
(ACP) Region.

Among the nine projects in the Region 13 universities from Sub-Saharan countries are involved as 
partners2. There were no funded projects involving Caribbean and Pacific countries in this project 
generation. Therefore, the report highlights only the situation of Sub-Saharan Africa and does not 
reflect the challenges of the Caribbean and Pacific Region although some of the challenges may 
be in common.

The report’s results are therefore based on a very small sample of on-going CBHE projects3 and are 
to be considered as preliminary and to be reviewed at a later stage. 

The report is analysing the role of the CBHE action as regards the impact and sustainability 
of  the  funded  projects  together  with  their  inclusiveness  (participants  with  disadvantaged 
backgrounds and fewer opportunities compared to their peers). More specifically, the report will look 
into the institutional development of higher education institutions (HEIs), their modernisation of 
study programmes, teaching and learning methodologies, structural reforms and the strengthening 
of  HEIs’  technical  capacities.  It  will  then  focus  on  the  opportunities  created  for  individuals 
(students,  academic  and  administrative  staff)  and  third  parties  like  enterprises,  chambers  of 
commerce, etc.

The report will also examine how the EU projects have influenced national policy developments 
in the education sector, mainly but not exclusively through ‘Structural Projects’. Special attention 
is given to the strengthening of regional cooperation through CBHE projects that include two or 
more countries from the same Region.

Finally, the analyses will be used to identify challenges and provide a set of recommendations 
for future reference.

2    List of 13 countries involved in selected projects: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mozambique, 

Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.

3   There are about 700 active projects following five annual calls, starting from 2015. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)2.  INTRODUCTION 

2. INTRODUCTION 

The CBHE action of the Erasmus+ Programme supports the modernisation and development of 
HEIs and the educational systems in the Partner Countries.  Capacity Building projects are expected 
to have a long-term structural impact and their direct influence is on institutions and educational 
systems rather than on individuals. 

European HEIs have a key role to play in supporting the modernisation efforts of emerging and 
developing parts of the world.  By developing Partner Country education systems, they contribute 
to the sustainable development of these countries’ economies and societies as a whole. In this 
way, European HEIs are given the opportunity to address significant challenges at the national, 
regional or even global level (e.g. climate change).  In this context, the involvement of national 
authorities (Ministries of Education) plays a critical role. 

International  consortia  of  HEIs  (which  often  include  private  businesses)  strengthen  the  quality 
of Higher Education in the Partner Countries by providing students with new and upgraded skills 
needed in the labour market. They also introduce innovative approaches in teaching and learning 
and provide entrepreneurial skills.  

The CBHE action is implemented through two types of projects, which aim to have an impact on 
HEIs or on the educational system as a whole. While ‘Joint Projects’ aim at the development of 
HEIs (e.g. curriculum development, governance of institutions, etc.), ‘Structural Projects’ address 
important challenges for the educational systems of the Partner Countries (accreditation, quality 
assurance in Education, PhD education, etc.). 

Both project types address one of the following three pillars

1. Curricula Reform 

2. Modernising university governance and management 

3.  Strengthening of relations between HEIs and the wider economic and social environment 

based on pre-established regional priorities. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Higher education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a number of challenges. Growing levels of 
student enrolment throughout the Region are straining the limited resources of public universities. 
At the same time, the number of private institutions has increased rapidly. This development needs 
to be matched by investments in physical and technological infrastructure while simultaneously 
guaranteeing  a  high  teaching  standard.  This  must  also  be  accompanied  by  an  improvement  in 
access, equity, and affordability, especially for marginalized communities and women.

Despite the relative increase in enrolment in higher education and efforts carried out by institutions, 
international  organisations  and  countries  to  support  mobility  of  students  and  staff,  the  rate  of 
mobility, within, from and to the Region, remains comparatively low. 

The poor performance of the labour market is reflected in very low employment rates and high 
levels of unemployment, leading to a brain drain among graduates and a lack of regional university 
cooperation. 

The  CBHE  action  targets  the  above-mentioned  challenges  through  the  implementation  of 
international cooperation projects. The results accomplished have affected the modernisation and 
reform of higher education in the region. HEIs and individuals (staff and students) have benefited 
from  institutional  and  study  programme  reforms  by  using  and  mainstreaming  results  of  CBHE 
projects,  primarily  related  to  creating  new  curricula,  modernisation  of  university  structures  and 
updating educational processes. In some cases, the CBHE project outputs also triggered changes 
at a national level through directly or indirectly influencing the structure and legislative framework 
of higher education.  

The  CBHE  action  applies  both  a  bottom-up  and  a  top-down  strategy  to  align  national  decision 
making with priorities of university development and internationalisation (fostering the Bologna 
process and tools). However, effective impact on the normative, and hence structural level, often 
remains disconnected from legislative and administrative reforms. Attainments directly traceable 
to  CBHE  projects  are  visible  mainly  in  curriculum  development  –  creating  new  student-centred 
study programmes at bachelor and master level – and their national accreditation.

The  achievements  obtained  through  CBHE  projects,  in  particular  the  introduction  of  quality 
assurance  procedures  and  new  and  updated 
degree  programmes,  have  provided  students 
in  the  Region  with  possibilities  that  could 
not  have  been  realised  without  the  input  of 
the  European  partner  institutions.  Tangible 
results  become  highly  visible  through  the 
establishment/improvement  of  laboratories, 
library  systems  and  other  student-oriented 
structures  and  services  at  university  level. 
This  has  had  an  effect  on  the  educational 
excellence and distinction of the participating 
HEIs  in  the  Partner  Countries  and  hence  the 
quality of training offered to their students. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

The  support  of  the  management  of  HEIs  and  of  national  authorities  is  pivotal  in  this  context 
and vital for the sustainability of the achieved project results.  The CBHE action has considerably 
enhanced the capacities of universities in the Region to manage international cooperation projects. 

Thanks  to  CBHE  projects  with  European  partners,  bridges  have  been  built  for  intra-national, 
regional or cross-regional cooperation that otherwise are unlikely to have occurred due to the 
national/regional/cultural and sometimes academic disconnection at play.

3.1. Institutional Development

3.1.1. Curricula Reform

One  of  the  main  objectives  of  the  CBHE  action  is  curricula  reform.  Partner  Country  HEIs  work 
together  in  high  quality  international  consortia  to  revise  study  programmes  or  to  develop  new 
ones,  to  engage  in  new  learning  and  teaching  methods  and  to  prepare  students  with  new  and 
better skills for a changing job market and a developing economy. 

‣   Almost 50% of all CBHE projects in the Region selected for funding deal with curriculum reform. 
In addition, other projects in the field of modernising of governance or strengthening links with 
society often include elements of curricula development.

The modernisation and launching of new study programmes and the introduction of innovative 
learning and teaching methods has significantly changed the landscape of the university sector. 
Curricula reform projects have been highly sustainable, since all newly created study programmes 
at  graduate  and  postgraduate  level  have  become  an  integral  part  of  regular  degree  programs 
taught at the HEIs: 

Quality of Higher education for Renewable Energies in North and East- Africa 
(AFREQEN) (573852-EPP-1-2016-1-FR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)  

The project is designed to develop 11 master and doctorate level training modules and a 
master degree in renewable energy, and more specifically in a new discipline of environmental 
metrology.    The  partnership  is  large,  including  24  partners  representing  Partner  Country 
institutions from Algeria, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia.

For many Partner Country HEIs, the collaboration with European universities on curricula development 
has  implied  exposure  to  the  Bologna  Process  methodology  even  though  this  process  does  not 
directly concern the Region. Hence, when developing new curricula and considering student mobility 
opportunities, the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) was introduced and the student-centred 
learning approaches and outcomes. Many HEIs have embraced the Bologna Process as a means of 
supporting mobility with European HEIs. In some countries, nationwide working groups have been 
created to promote the use of the Bologna Process methodology.

It  is  worth  pointing  out  that  there  are  two  contradicting  views  in  motion  regarding  the  arrival 
of the Bologna Process in Africa: as a significant reform model opportunity and as a return to a 
form of ‘colonialism’.  Also, due to internal and external factors, the extension and impact of the 
Bologna  Process  in  African  higher  education  are  limited.  Consequently,  Africa  has  its  initiative 
called Harmonisation, quality and Accreditation (HAQAA), which supports a Pan-qAfrican Quality 
Assurance and Accreditation Framework (PAQAF). This is done by developing continent standards 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

and  guidelines  for  quality  assurance  in  higher  education,  capacity  building  in  the  regional  and 
national  bodies  in  charge  of  the  higher  education  and  by  cultivating  expertise  in  the  field  of 
institutional evaluation and quality. 

Specific remarks 

Not all study programmes started during the CBHE project’s implementation period or immediately 
after  project  completion.  This  is  because  of  the  long  time  required  for  study  programme 
accreditation and the reform of the education system. Therefore, some study programmes could 
only be launched after the end of the project’s eligibility period. Furthermore, curricula development 
projects often lack guidelines for students and a proper information policy about the new 
possibilities, which is a deficiency for this type of project. In general, the involvement of students 
as end beneficiaries is not sufficiently considered.  In most cases, student involvement in curriculum 
development takes place only at end for the purposes of individual testing. While there are many 
active student associations, these are not normally involved in project consortia, which is certainly 
detrimental to the purpose of the CBHE projects.

3.1.2. Technological Upgrade

The provision of funds to improve the technical structure of Partner Country HEIs is an important 
element of CBHE and the provision of equipment plays an important role (often almost one third 
of the total grant). This is an attractive offer to universities, which often lack modern and labour 
market oriented training facilities. 

Adequate  provision  of  equipment  in  laboratories  and  centres  is  vital  for  supporting  practical 
coursework,  especially  in  the  natural  and  hard  sciences.    Provision  of  equipment  allows  the 
establishment of facilities like career advice centres, innovation and start-up centres.  New facilities 
are frequently used to train private or public employees, who otherwise would not have access 
to such important support structures. Sometimes this even happens on a fee-paying basis, thus 
contributing to the project's impact and financial sustainability.

CBHE  projects  also  strengthen  the  digitalisation  of  education  by  using  various  IT  tools  in  the 
teaching process and by creating online learning platforms.

The  strengthening  of  HEI  technical  capacities  by  opening  new  laboratories  for  teaching  is  an 
obvious goal for CBHE projects. Additionally these labs are often used to conduct research and 
create hence a vital bridge between teaching and research. 

Water Resources and Environmental Risks in African Cities (MAREMA) 
(573754-EPP-1-2016-1-FR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

This  project  bought  laboratory  equipment  and  computers  for  the  use  of  students  of  the 
Partner Country universities in Benin, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, with view to enable them 
to participate in the Master courses developed within the project.

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Creation of Master Degree in Energy, Water and Housing Environment in 
Madagascar (MADEEHI) (573764-EPP-1-2016-1-FR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

This project has established and equipped the Open Physical Laboratories (Fablabs) with  
equipment  to be used  for studies in the fields of energy, water, housing, environment and 
anthropology as well as workbenches for the students to forge their skills in practice. 

Specific remarks 

Given the importance of being able to buy project specific equipment, the equipment purchased 
is  revised  after  the  start  of  the  project  to  adapt  to  the  needs  of  the  institutions  and  to  the 
implementation of a specific type of curricula.  By doing this, it is possible to avoid situations in 
which equipment is used for general purposes, for example in the provision of laptops to students 
and teachers. Such purchases are not always required for the implementation of the CBHE project 
and it is also not sure if this kind of equipment remains with the universities after the projects’ end. 
However, this practice is further delaying the purchase equipment.

In  certain  cases,  the  required  equipment  maintenance  and  follow-up  financing  is  not  ensured.  
Sometimes the reason for this is the lack of financial autonomy of universities. 

Moreover,  many  HEIs  reported  challenges  in  the  handling  of  the  tendering  procedures  when 
equipment was not available in their country but had to be imported. Since different tendering rules 
had to be followed, the universities faced a multilayer bureaucracy. It also happens occasionally 
that these administrative hurdles are exacerbated due to fluctuating exchange rates.

3.1.3. Governance and Management Reform

The  universities’  governance/management  bodies  in  the  Region  still  require  institutional 
reinforcement to be able to compete with European and worldwide universities. HEIs in the Partner 
Countries  need  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  their  governance  processes  and  their  structures  to 
have  them  grow  internationally  and  offer  study  programmes  of  high  quality,  which  attract  the 
interest of academics, students and society at large. This implies among other things, sustainable 
strategies and regulations, efficient international relation offices, quality assurance units endorsing 
international  and  European  standards,  financial  autonomy,  structures  for  collaborating  with  the 
labour market and strong alumni associations.

CBHE projects have clearly contributed to the creation or reinforcement of university bodies and 
changes at institutional level: 

Strengthening of Collaboration, Leadership and Professionalization in 
Research Management in SADC and EU Higher Education Institutions (STORM) 
(574169-EPP-1-2016-1-ZA-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

The  STORM  project’s  objective  is  to  establish  and  improve  research  quality,  research 
management and increase the number of the postgraduate students.  This project supports 
the research structures and research management offices in higher education institutions in 
in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

However, much remains to be done in the area of governance and management reform for the ACP 
HEIs. New CBHE projects should support the efficiency of the structures in place (e.g. approaches 
to  involve  stakeholders  in  governance,  especially  employers  and  alumni),  digitised  procedures, 
optimised processes, and mechanisms to trace the employability of the graduates, etc.

3.1.4. HEI International strategies 

The internationalisation of higher education in the ACP Region is high on the political agenda of 
governments and HEIs. However, while in Europe internationalisation is considered as a vehicle for 
enhancing the competitiveness of HEIs and economies, in the ACP  Region it is seen primarily as 
a means of supporting national reforms and institutional capacity building. The higher education 
systems  in  the  region  cannot  compete  with  the  more  established  and  highly  internationalised 
educational systems in Europe and elsewhere.  However, internationalisation offers a chance to 
improve and develop through cooperation with strong European partner institutions. 

Individual  academics  remain  the  most  important  driver  of  international  cooperation  in 
the  Region.  It  is  through  bottom-up  initiatives  by  academics  that  short-term  mobility,  research 
cooperation, development of joint-study programmes, and other activities are being developed. 
While  there  is  a  high  level  of  commitment  to  internationalisation  almost  everywhere,  these 
academics often do not receive sufficient support to enact their cooperative ventures. University 
practices and support services are not sufficiently adapted to serve this goal. Internationalisation 
efforts are hampered by certain shortcomings throughout the Region, such as weak international 
relations offices (IROs), an insufficient number of courses offered in foreign languages, relatively 
poor foreign language skills among students and academics in some countries, and weak support 
for  finding  and  managing  research  funding.  However,  the  extent  of  these  shortcomings  varies 
significantly across the countries.

Numerous  strategic  and  procedural  documents  have  been  created  and  adopted  which 
aim  to  support  internationalisation  and  modernisation  at  the  institutional  level.  These  include 
guidelines  for  learning  outcomes  at  HEIs,  strategies  for  university  internationalisation,  systems 
for monitoring the quality of the education process, and newly adopted protocols and procedures, 
which help improve the service provided by the international relations offices. 

Moreover, the CBHE projects have increased the visibility of the HEIs involved, through their strong 
outward orientation and focus on international cooperation. This change significantly improves the 
support provided to students and staff interested in mobility at the university/faculty level 

Via  the  CBHE  projects,  African  HEIs  have  also  managed  to  undertake  activities  relating  to  the 
third  mission  (i.e.  societal  outreach)  of  higher  education.  They  have  in  some  cases  established 
cooperation with the non-academic sector, which increases the impact of the projects:   

Social Inclusion and Energy Management for Informal Urban Settlements 
(SES) (573046-EPP-1-2016-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

This  project  will  create  open  educational  resources  in  lifelong  learning  (LLL)  in  Ethiopia. 
In  particular,  it  targets  professional  architects,  planners  and  engineers  as  well  as  local 
communities,  national  housing  authorities  and  NGOs  involved    in  the  urbanization  and 
inclusive housing. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Additionally,  CBHE  projects  have  supported  the  institutions  to  adopt  a  more  multidisciplinary 
approach to curricula development in line with the Bologna principles.  

Lastly, the participation of the Partner Country institutions in CBHE projects has strengthened the 
integrative function of most public universities vis-à-vis the faculties that are their constitutive 
elements in relation to international cooperation. 

The  performance  of  HEIs  is  often  measured  on  the  basis  of  their  research  output  and  quality. 
Opening HEIs up to global standards and benchmarks has motivated them to work to continuously 
improve their systems and processes:

Governance and the Social Challenges of African Universities: The Case of Food 
Safety and Security (DAFRALI)  (573791-EPP-1-2016-1-BE-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

This project is designed to improve governance of universities in Morocco, Congo and Senegal. 
The project has evaluated HEI strategies and autonomy. established links between societal 
challenges with the goal of creating improved strategies and multiannual action plans for 
HEIs in the field of food safety and food security. 

3.2. Broadening Horizons for Individuals

3.2.1. Academic staff 

The CBHE action has given professors from Partner Countries the opportunity to meet their peers in 
different countries. By working together in international consortia, professors have become aware 
of different perspectives, gained new insights into their academic field and have been exposed to 
international quality standards in education. The CBHE projects have allowed them to collaborate 
with other experts in their area, leading to a direct peer-to-peer knowledge transfer from Europe 
to the Partner Countries. They have also gained valuable work experience through the teaching 
of students in a different country and from different countries (sometimes in a foreign language).

CAPacity Building in Sustainability and Environmental Management (CAPsem) 
(574218-EPP-1-2016-1-NO-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

In the framework of this project, around 30 members of  Staff, 10 Students and 2 members 
of  administrative  staff  from  Uganda,  India,  and  Nepal  had  the  opportunity  to  carry  out 
staff and student exchanges focusing on a methodology involving curriculum development, 
industry and stakeholder training and engagement with EU and other Partner Country higher 
education  systems.  The  contacts  built  have  proven  extremely  useful  for  pursuing  further 
research. Contacts made have led to further collaborations and activities after the end of the 
project. This has improved the long-term impact of the projects' outcomes.

Two different categories of academics can be distinguished, namely a) experienced academics and 
b) young academics at the start of their career:  

a)  These academics were advanced in their career, but limited as regards further vertical growth at 
their home universities. By bringing an international dimension to their work, CBHE projects have 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

offered these staff members a new lease of lifeallowing them to broaden their perspectives. 
However, for the same reason this also means that often, it is a field’s leading academics that 
are participating in the CBHE projects. Thus, monopolisation within the HEIs may occur. Access to 
EU projects is regarded as ‘territorial gain’ and not necessarily as something to be shared. This 
also holds true for Programme Country staff members for the same reasons and is leading to 
these ‘peer group’ networks risking the production of mediocre project outcomes.  It should 
also  be  be  outlined  that  the  motivation  to  be  part  of  a  CBHE  project  is  not  always  only 
connected to the project’s content or cooperation aspects but also to the generous funding 
that the CBHE project offers for personnel costs of professors. The additional remuneration 
is  covering  tasks  that  should  be  part  of  the  normal  tasks  of  the  academics,  namely  the 
updating of their degree programmes in the case of curriculum development projects.  

This goes hand in hand with the one size fits all programme structure of the CBHE action 
that makes it possible for academics and universities to include a huge variety of project ideas 
in their applications.  Academics and ‘professional project writers’ sell/recycle project ideas that 
do not always correspond to the real needs of the HEI in the region and the CBHE action suffers 
from a high number of recurrent beneficiaries.

b)  Young academics are given the possibility to occupy leadership roles for project packages and 
are exposed to an international working level. They get access to EU funding which prevents a 
further brain drain. 

Strengthening of Collaboration, Leadership and Professionalization in 
Research Management in SADC and EU Higher Education Institutions (STORM)  
(574169-EPP-1-2016-1-ZA-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

This project has opted for the appointment of a shadow external advisory board for quality 
assurance.  This  is  an  innovative  way  of  holding  the  consortium  accountable  to  young 
research management staff, who will be asked to critically appraise the project’s outcomes 
and its relevance for their career development. This approach aims to build the capacity of 
junior staff members in monitoring and evaluating international projects.

In  general,  trainings  and  workshops  organised  within  the  CBHE  projects  allowed  academics  to 
acquire new skills and knowledge in various disciplines. 

Social Inclusion and Energy Management for Informal Urban Settlements 
(SES) (573046-EPP-1-2016-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)  

Through seminars and thematic trainings the Ethiopian students and staff profited during 
their mobilities in Europe from insights into different European housing policies, sustainable 
energy  management  projects  and  neighbourhood  interventions.  Some  of  these  aspects 
may  be  transferable  to  specific  Ethiopian  contexts.Local  in-house  trainings,  developed 
in  cooperation  with  European  and  Ethiopian  partners,  were  also  offered  for  practitioners, 
i.e. professional architects, planners and engineers as well as local communities, national 
housing authorities and NGOs. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

The  CBHE  action  allowed  academics  to  overcome  national  boundaries  and  to  link  with  other 
disciplines within their HEI. EU countries have been experimenting with multidisciplinary courses 
for some time and most academics recognise the benefits. Therefore, this concept has also been 
introduced  in  certain  Partner  Countries  and  has  helped  to  promote  innovation  and  cooperation 
between departments, and broaden academic and institutional ways of thinking.  

Working  with  the  private  sector  within  a  CBHE  project  has  been  a  new  experience  for  many 
professors.  They  have  gained  greater  insights  into  business  realities  that  could  lead  to  making 
study programmes more relevant to business needs: 

Creation  of  Master  Degree  in  Energy,  Water  and  Housing  Environment  in 
Madagascar (MADEEHI) (573764-EPP-1-2016-1-FR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

This project had a strong involvement of companies during the project<;. They have been 
involved  in  the  definition  and  validation  of  the  training  carried  out  during  the  project, 
identification of the educational materials acquired, and participation at the technological 
showroom in terms of dissemination of the project.

Furthermore, CBHE projects have opened the door for academics to university management. This 
was observed especially during the Agency’s monitoring visits, which took place in the presence 
of the university management. It turned out that professors working on CBHE projects in different 
departments were often not aware that other colleagues in their HEI were also working on CBHE 
projects. Hence, it was through the Agency’s monitoring visit that a connection between different 
CBHE projects was established. For the same reason it also became clear that some HEI managers 
were unaware of the activities taking place on the ground, which shows that proper monitoring 
is missing and the idea of ‘internationalisation’ as a strategy is often not yet cemented.

the 

The CBHE action has given staff from the Region the opportunity to develop their intercultural 
skills by working together with colleagues in a multi-country 
consortium. Academic and  administrative  staff  gained  the  
intercultural  experience  of working with cEU countries and with 
their neighbouring countries. Often only within an EU-funded 
international consortium does it becomes possible to receive 
endorsement by both the HEI and the national authorities to 
collaborate with HEIs from neighbouring countries. 

report 

3.2.2. Students 

One  of  the  main  drivers  of  internationalisation  has  been 
the  need  for  universities  to  attract  excellent    students  and 
professors to raise the level of education offered and to become 
more  competitive  in  the  global  education  market.  The  CBHE 
action has helped HEIs to set up high-level study programmes, 
which  has  increased  the  visibility  and  appeal  of  the  HEI  in 
the national context and contributed to stopping brain drain. 
Cooperation with EU partners also provides students with an 
environment in which their merits will be fairly treated in 
societies that are marked by nepotism and corruption. 

13

lack  of 

Many  stakeholders  complain 
job-
about 
readiness of higher education 
graduates in the region, while 
others 
graduates’ 
lack  of  interactive  skills,  IT 
skills,  organisational  skills, 
and  ability  to  work  in  teams. 
HEIs  are  seen  as  focusing 
on  theoretical  knowledge  to 
the  detriment  of  providing 
graduates  with 
practical 
knowledge  and  experience, 
which  is  a  key  concern  of 
employers.  In  addition,  the 
study 
curricula  of  many 
programmes  fail  to  reflect 
the combination of skills that 
employers seek.

CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

‣   Within the CBHE project, students were enrolled in new or upgraded courses, received training 

or took part in a mobility

The  impact  of  the  CBHE  projects  on  students  has  been  manifold.  They  have  been 
beneficiaries  of  modernised  or  new  study  programmes  and  have  been  exposed  to  
innovative teaching and learning methods and motivational approaches. The work done with new 
or  improved  equipment  and  infrastructure,  exchanges  with  foreign  academics,  and  use  of  new 
methodologies and short and long-term mobility (available to all three cycles) has enhanced both 
the academic and practical competences of students.

There  are  numerous  examples  of  joint  research  projects  and  joint  publications  initiated 
after  successful  cooperation  within  CBHE  projects.  In  fact,  this  research  work  often  takes  place 
in  parallel  with  the  CBHE  project.  Staff  and  students  mobility  has  allowed  the  supervision  of 
doctoral candidates by staff from international partners, improving the quality of research 
and enhancing the reputation of the associated HEI. 

Graduate entry  to  the  labour  market  in  the  Region  is  often  precarious and they experience 
periods of unemployment of various duration before they find stable employment. This transition 
from the academic world to the labour market is hampered by a relatively low level of cooperation 
between HEIs and employers in relation to curriculum design and recruitment. Few employers are 
involved in the discussions of new curricula. 

The  CBHE  action  strongly  encourages  cooperation  of  HEIs  with  the  labour  market.  In  a 
number of projects, private sector representatives are involved in designing new curricula that are 
more appealing and relevant for the business world. Professors who internalise this entrepreneurial 
and long-term perspective have been the main exponents of this cooperation, which has translated 
into  internships  for  students  and,  in  some  cases,  job  offers  after  graduation.    Evidence  shows 
that curriculum development projects working closely with private sector partners, and including 
internships within university education, have a higher graduate employability rate and are therefore 
much more appealing to national and international students. 

However,  despite  notable  exceptions  (see  below)  the  overall  involvement  of  private  business 
partners in HEI curricula development is limited and lags behind expectations:

the 

Substantial  policy  gaps 
exist  within 
region’s 
HE  system.  Consequently, 
substantial  reforms  and 
follow-up  are  needed  to 
improve  their  quality  and 
enhance their contribution to 
economic  competitiveness. 
The 
of 
improvement 
education quality has been a 
key theme in the reform of 
HE in the Region for several 
years. 

CAPacity Building in Sustainability and 
Environmental Management (CAPSem) 
(574218-EPP-1-2016-1-NO-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

Partner  Country  HEIs  in  Uganda,  Nepal  and  India  are 
committed  to  continue  collaboration  through  industry 
partnership  and  public  organisations.. 
Improved 
collaboration  with 
increased  HEIs 
perspectives in teaching, research and community-based 
learning activities.

industry  has 

Some CBHE projects include concrete support structures, such 
as career centres, incubators or students support services, 
which have developed strategic and sustainable links with the 
labour market and provide training. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

A  number  of  the  HEIs  are  involved  in  projects  to  establish  language-learning  centres  or  to 
improve the language skills of students, who enjoyed this linguistic training by attending newly 
developed English courses, joining mobility opportunities and accessing research material in foreign 
languages.

Although the students are the main end beneficiaries of the CBHE projects, they have only been 
sporadically involved in project activities. The development and modernisation of curricula, and 
therefore  the  identification  of  student  needs  for  their  future,  is  seen  as  the  domain  of  the  HEI 
and their academic staff in Region. CBHE projects have not yet reached the point where students 
participate in building their future. 

3.2.3. Administrative staff

CBHE projects also have an impact on administrative staff. This relates particularly to staff from the 
offices for international affairs and staff responsible for project financial management, who 
have to be well acquainted with the regulations and procedures relating to project implementation.

Although administrative and financial staff are key people in international cooperation, their role is 
not always very visible in the project activities. Moreover, given the nature of their work, they are 
rarely the first to participate in mobility opportunities. However, regular interaction via email and 
skype with their counterparts in other countries has brought learning opportunities and given them 
insights into best practice in financial and grant management. Sometimes, they have been able 
to introduce new practices within their own HEI systems. Dealing with international projects, 
they have to work in English and in this way, their language skills tend to considerably improve. 
The equipment budget has allowed administrative staff to purchase new technology and to use 
their newly acquired skills for the benefit of their home HEI. Some CBHE projects specifically target 
administrative staff: 

Strengthening of Collaboration, Leadership and Professionalization in 
Research Management in SADC and EU Higher Education Institutions (STORM)  
(574169-EPP-1-2016-1-ZA-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

The specific objective of the project is to improve effective and strategic management of 
research portfolios by increasing capacity of research administrators and managers. 

3.2.4. Entrepreneurs/Employers 

Most of the companies that participate as partners in CBHE projects are  small and  medium 
enterprises  (SMEs).  CBHE  projects  have  given  these  enterprises  access  to  experts  in  specific 
fields, as well as to research laboratories and specialised equipment. Businesses have benefitted 
from this partnership to develop new products and to find students to work on new processes and 
equipment. 

HEIs are a rich recruitment ground for businesses, which use internships to test potential future 
staff. In a number of CBHE projects, businesses are part of review panels and participate directly in 
the curriculum design process. They are also involved in defining the specifications of the equipment 
needs for the labs. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE3. CBHE IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Development of a Harmonized Modular Curriculum for the Smart Grid (DAMOC) 
(574173-EPP-1-2016-1-DE-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

Two Smart GRID Labs are established in the universities of Zambia  and South Africa to 
enable  real-time  experiments  to  support  research  investigations  of  master  students  and 
to  enable  them  to  verify  theoretical  parts  of  the  modules  by  experimentation.  Planning, 
concept development, and determination of equipment specifications in the Smart Grid Lab 
in the project was done jointly with industrial partners Alectrix, etalumiSe, and Eskom, and in 
consultation with various vendors.

However, this is not always the case and most curriculum development projects instead carry out 
industry surveys to establish the precise needs of the labour market. It is important to note that 
the labour market includes not only the private sector, but also NGOs and the public sector. 

In  addition,  training  courses  for  practitioners  were  introduced,  sometimes  on  a  fee-paying 
basis, which contributes to the sustainability of the activities.

CAPacity Building in Sustainability and Environmental Management (CAPSem) 
(574218-EPP-1-2016-1-NO-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

This  project  organised  environmental  sustainability  and  environmental  management 
training seminars  and courses for industry partners,  national authorities and NGOs which 
have continued following the end of the project. Given that industry partners were involved 
in the courses’ development process, it was assured that they include content defined by 
the practical needs of target stakeholders, assuring the sustainability of the project results.

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)4.  REGIONAL COOPERATION AND NATIONAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT

4.  REGIONAL COOPERATION AND 

NATIONAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT

4.1. Regional Cooperation

There  is  significant  potential  for  internationalisation  through  intraregional  cooperation.  Several 
important  initiatives  already  exist  to  foster  such  cooperation  in  both  teaching  and  research. 
Academics  in  the  region  are  eager  to  seek  cooperation  with  institutions  from  the  neighbouring 
countries. Indeed, when there is a preference for international cooperation, geographic or cultural 
closeness (expressed in factors such as language and religion and a tradition of cooperation) tends 
to prevail. 

In certain countries, relations between HEIs – before they started their collaboration in the frame 
of the CBHE projects – were quite competitive. However, after having worked together HEIs often 
discovered  hidden  benefits  of  collaboration.  For  example,  some  HEIs  realised  that  sharing 
resources,  such  as  research  databases,  open  learning  platforms  and  scientific  laboratories,  is 
quite feasible and even saves costs for geographically small countries like those in the region. 

The sharing of resources within the CBHE projects has led to greater interaction between professors 
and more active sharing of ideas. Hence, with successful cooperation within a CBHE project, the 
universities are in a good position to establish dual degrees:

Learning and Teaching Tools Fueling University Relations with the Economy in 
Mozambique and South Africa (LaTFURE)  
(573579-EPP-1-2016-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-SP)

This structural project is developing and adopting legal and policy frameworks.  Its final aim 
is to establish two dual study programmes in South Africa and two dual study programmes 
in  Mozambique  in  the  fields  of  extractive  industries  and  tourism.  These  will  demonstrate 
proof-of-concept and provide working prototypes for replication and systemic expansion.

The CBHE action has contributed significantly to the strengthening of cooperation in the region. It 
provides a means by which HEIs can work together on themes of mutual interest across national and 
ethnic boundaries. It also promotes people-to-people contact which helps to change mentalities 
and reduce prejudices. 

A number of academic subject areas lend themselves to a regional dimension such as agriculture, 
engineering and environmental studies. These therefore tend to promote regional cooperation. In 
working together, exchanging processes, results and best practices, each country has learned from 
its neighbours. The creation of regional budget envelopes has further fostered regional cooperation 
and exchange. 

It is also interesting to note that as a result of the cross-regional projects, cooperation has increased 
among several countries in various other world regions.

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE4.  REGIONAL COOPERATION AND NATIONAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT

Development of a Harmonized Modular Curriculum for the Smart Grid 
(DAMOC) (574173-EPP-1-2016-1-DE-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

This project has established an African Smart Grid Education Network (ASGEN) with the aim 
of developing an operational network in Africa by propagating Smart Grid Technology (www.
asgen.org).

4.2. National Education Reforms

Structural projects are of particular importance for triggering and supporting developments and 
reforms of the national education systems in the Partner Countries. The majority of the Structural 
Projects (86%) are therefore single country (national) projects.

Analysis has shown that successful CBHE projects have sparked national debates and highlighted 
policy gaps, which led to policy and legislative reforms. Since participation of education ministries 
in Structural Projects is obligatory, the CBHE action has also laid the basis for cooperation between 
HEIs and national authorities: 

Learning and Teaching Tools Fueling University Relations with the Economy in 
Mozambique and South Africa (LaTRURE)  
(573579-EPP-1-2016-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-SP) 

The Ministries of Education in Mozambique and South Africa participate actively in the project, 
which has the tangible goal of developing and designing adaptable mechanisms and tools 
for an easily replicable dual study programme. The participation of the ministries in policy 
seminar and other dissemination events further enhance the visibility and sustainability of 
the project results.

Despite success stories in reforming the national legislation, the process is not always smooth. 
Many ministry officials were not used to this bottom-up approach and limited language skills acted 
as a barrier, increasing their resistance. In addition, there has often been a lack of awareness 
and proper follow-up from ministries. This became obvious during cluster meetings specifically 
organised for Structural Projects, where it happened that certain ministry representatives showed 
(positive) surprise regarding the existence of CBHE projects addressing national needs, whereas 
the ministry itself was an official partner in the project consortium.

Overall, the vast majority of Structural Projects contributed significantly to the policy objectives 
of the Partner Countries.

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)5. INCLUSIVENESS 

5. INCLUSIVENESS 

5.1. People with Fewer Opportunities

Challenges remain in the areas of inequality, access to higher education and inclusion. 

Improving the socio-economic situation of disabled, women, migrant and marginalised populations 
in  general  should  be  further  encouraged  by  the  actione.  A  more  systemic  approach  should  be 
encouraged,  involving  the  mainstreaming  and  institutionalising  of  good  practices  and  reporting 
with clear indications. 

Many of the funded projects target people with fewer opportunities, in some cases directly but also 
as a corollary of the overall project activities. 

Social Inclusion and Energy Management for Informal Urban Settlements 
(SES) (573046-EPEP-1-2016-1-AT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)  

The issue of migration is central to the phenomenon of rapid urbanization in the Ethiopian 
context:  Even  though  the  country’s  vast  population  is  still  predominantly  rural,  recent 
decades have seen unprecedented rural-urban migration, which remains unabated to this 
day. However, many aspects of this process, such as the mechanisms that provide migrants 
with housing in distinct “arrival” locations, are still widely unexplored, poorly understood and 
grossly overlooked by administrations and politics. Therefore, several of the SES project’s 
case studies address these questions directly. In so doing, they investigate mechanisms of 
people’s adaptation to shifting economic constraints in diverse locations, which are not only 
relevant for domestic but also international migration.

CAPacity Building in Sustainability and Environmental Management (CAPSem) 
(574218-EPP-1-2016-1-NO-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP) 

Over  one  million  refugees  from  South  Sudan  have  now  settled  in  Northern  Uganda.  The 
project consortium has analysed the currently unsustainable energy used for cooking as well 
as a study on sources of livelihood at two refugee camps in Uganda. The investigations have 
shown that long-term interventions are required to address the environmental degradation 
of settlement areas and ensure viable alternatives to energy sources. The partners are then 
able  to  suggest  solutions  based  on  CapSEM  methods,  and  investigate  the  possibility  of 
future technologies.

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE5. INCLUSIVENESS 

5.2. Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

Even though all the ACP countries have been encouraged to participate in the CBHE action, only 29 
of the 79 ACP countries have taken part as of in the action  by  20194. The figure is small partly 
due  to  the  limited  funding  for  the  Region  and  partly  because  of  the  limited  knowledge  of  the 
programme in particular in the Pacific (no participation) and Caribbean countries5, but also in Africa. 

Stronger  promotion  and  investment  in  these  regions  ,  Africa,  Caribbean,  Pacitic,  are  needed  to 
increase their level of participation and the impact on their higher education systems and societies 
at large. However, this need to be matched with sufficient funding.

Nevertheless,  LDCs  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa  are  very  well  represented  along  the  first  projects 
financed.  Eight projects of the selected nine involve LDCs from sub-Saharan Africa,. The following 
countries are involved in the projects , Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, 
Madagascar, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.

There are thus good practices where the universities form the LDC have brought about a positive 
impact and innovated their institutions and the higher education system.

5.3. Institutions Located in less developed regions

Cooperation among HEIs from remote areas is especially important for the Region in order to reach 
vulnerable  populations  located  in  these  areas.  The  countries  in  the  Region  tend  to  be  strongly 
centralised and to accumulate resources and opportunities in capitals, which reinforces the need 
to  promote  and  encourage  participation  of  universities  underrepresented  by  country  located  in 
remote areas or in vulnerable zones.

In the Region, the CBHE action succeeded in reaching HEIs outside the capitals, involving participation 
from HEIs located throughout the territory. 

4    ACP countries that have not participated in the programme by 2019: Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Burundi, Central African Republic, 
Chad, Congo, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, 
Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Timor-Leste, Tonga, 
Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe

5   As of 2019, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago have taken part in the CBHE action.

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP) 
6. CONCLUSIONS

6. CONCLUSIONS 

The EU cooperation policy with ACP countries primarily aims to reduce poverty in the Region. It also 
contributes to other international priorities such as sustainable economic, social and environmental 
development, respect for human rights, promotion of democracy, rule of law and good governance. 
This is in accordance with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Within  this  context,  the  CBHE  2016  projects  have  promoted  higher  education  exchanges  and 
cooperation between the EU and ACP countries contributing to the establishing of several regional 
university  partnerships  and  collaborative  networks  as  well  as  mutually  beneficial  linkages  in 
learning  and  teaching  and,  by  extension,  making  a  strong  contribution  to  the  evolution  of  the 
regional higher education area.

A first analysis of a small sample of 2016 project reports -  most of which are still ongoing - has 
shown that CBHE projects play an important role in the support and development of education 
systems in the Partner Countries. The higher education sector is a driving force for the economy 
and society as a whole and the role of the CBHE action is important as it has a long-term structural 
effect on the Partner Countries.  A number of best practice examples show in an impressive way 
the benefits that CBHE projects can have on educational systems, HE institutions and individuals 
(academics, administrative university staff, and students). 

However, the impact of the CBHE action can be further improved by looking at the challenges that 
were identified via the sample of final project reports and the monitoring activities (desk monitoring, 
monitoring missions, cluster meetings) conducted by the Agency. Some of the challenges refer to 
the CBHE action as a whole, others specifically to the ACP region and in particular in Sub-Saharan 
Africa. 

6.1. Challenges 

•  The CBHE action has a large number of recurrent beneficiaries, both institutions and 

individuals. In the long term, this leads to a lack of innovative and creative project ideas 
(and few new collaborations) and diminishes the impact of the CBHE action in the Region.
•  The Region is relatively new to the programme and the Partner Country HEIs do not yet have 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  EU  financial  regulations  and  experience  of  international  project 
management  in order to take a lead and coordinate projects. 

•  The success rate of the projects to be funded in the calls is around 15% and the quality of 
proposals  in  increasing  yearly.  This  means  that  the  funding  is  not  sufficient  for  the  interest 
shown  in  the  Region.    For  the  same  reason,  there  is  not  very  widespread  knowledge  of  the 
existence of this programme and its provision of funding opportunities across the ACP Region. 
•  The  unit  costs  for  travelling  should  be  revised  in  order  to  be  closer  to  the  real  costs.  In 
particular, in Sub-Saharan Africa, Caribbean and Pacific, the flight prices are very expensive, and 
do not reflect the  unit costs . 

•  Internationalisation  strategies  in  HEIs  are  often  absent  or  insufficiently  developed.    The 
creation of project consortia often lack a long-term strategic vision for the development of the 
HEIs, and proposals are developed because of existing or recurrent collaborations. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE6. CONCLUSIONS

•  The large maximum grant amount of EUR 1 million sometimes leads to ‘inflated’ project budgets 
and lowers cost efficiency of project activities.  In terms of staff costs, we observed that individual 
professors and consultants worked on several CBHE projects in parallel, thus incurring high staff 
costs. This kind of project monopolisation by individuals is not desirable and leads to projects 
that are thematically repetitive, and to suboptimal project results.

•  The participation of non-academic partners in CBHE projects is limited and involving  private 
business remains a challenge. Finding mechanisms to integrate more non-academic partners is 
vital given their importance for ensuring the relevance of new and updated study programmes 
applicable to the labour market.

•  Accreditation is sometimes problematic because it takes a long time and does not allow the 
running of degree programmes within the eligibility period of the CBHE project.  Another challenge 
is the whole accreditation process being on hold due to a blocking legislation procedure.

•  Regional,  cross-regional,  and  even  national  projects  face  various  administrative  and 
management challenges due to different rules and regulations applicable in different countries. 
This  is  particularly  true  for  tendering  procedures.  On  average,  one  third  of  the  CBHE  grant  is 
reserved for the purchase of equipment. Complications and delays in the tendering procedures 
generate significant implementation problems for  projects and sometimes equipment will only 
be available at the very end of a project’s duration.

•  The ability to reach out beyond the initial partnership needs to be further developed and 
should become a key priority for the projects.  Intensive dissemination of project outcomes and 
results  during  and  after  the  project  funding  period  plays  an  important  role.  Excellent  results 
should be more highly valued and shared with other HEIs working in the same field and facing 
the same challenges. 

•  For a number of CBHE projects, appropriate institutional endorsement by HEI administration 
is  not  or  only  partially  in  place.  HEIs  must  invest  more  in  using  CBHE  projects  for  strategic 
development and provide adequate support via international offices and financial departments. 
A frequent lack of cooperation and communication between different CBHE projects (and with 
other funded Erasmus+ initiatives) within the same institution has frequently been observed.
•  Proper involvement of decision makers and national authorities (especially for Structural 
Projects) is lacking for many projects. This is concomitant with a lack of commitment by the 
national authorities to follow-up and incorporate the CBHE projects and results into their national 
educational strategies.

•  There  is  a  lack  of  financial  autonomy  on  the  part  of  HEIs.  Without  their  own  funds  and 
separate  bank  accounts  at  HEI  level,  institutions  face  severe  challenges  regarding  financial 
management and the implementation of international projects. This causes huge administrative 
burden and delays project activities since the request for funds may require lengthy procedures 
engaging many hierarchical levels for approval. This jeopardises the sustainability of the project 
results because the regulations hinder attempts to generate additional income, for example via 
consultancy and research services.

•  Public HEIs are understaffed at administrative and academic levels. If no qualified academics 
are available, this can lead to the withdrawal of the accreditation for study programmes. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)6. CONCLUSIONS

•  In  the  majority  of  cases,  students  are  not  participating  in  project  conception,  design  and 
implementation in the majority of cases. Rather, they are integrated at the end of the CBHE 
project  during  testing  phase,  if  at  all.  If  the  expectations  and  needs  of  students  or  student 
associations (which could be part of project consortia) are not sufficiently taken into account, 
this lowers the relevance of their studies for the labour market and the sustainability of the 
funded degree programmes.

•  The  sustainability  of  project  results  is  often  not  sufficiently  addressed  by  the  consortia, 
particularly, in public universities. Conversely, for private universities, the sustainability of project 
results appears to be more effective as private HEIs have managed to attract students with their 
new study programmes based on a ‘business plan’. 

6.2. Recommendations 

The  analyses  of  the  2016  CBHE  projects  together  with  the  challenges  identified  suggest  the 
following recommendations for changes and improvements:
•  The level of funding in the Region should be increased in order to reach sufficient geographical 
and  thematic  diversity  for  regional  projects.    This  should  be  matched  by  more  effective  
information distribution regarding funding opportunities targeting the Pacific region in particular. 
•  The  action  should  focus  more  on  targeted  structural  change  in  the  Partner  Countries.  The 
Structural Projects should be better integrated and brought in line with the national priorities of 
Partner Countries for the development of their educational systems. The Ministries of Education 
play a critical role in the operation, upscaling and mainstreaming of CBHE project results and 
adequate measures should be established to better link them to the Structural Projects. 

•  More HEIs must adopt a strategic approach and focus their participation in the CBHE action 
on projects that are in line with their medium and long-term priorities and development goals. 
This ‘strategic interest’ orientation will then lead to a better support of the CBHE projects (e.g. 
on the part of the international office and finance department), the encouragement of dialogue 
between projects implemented at the same HEI and above all to better project sustainability of 
the projects following the end of their funding period. 

•  The institutional capacity of Partner Country HEIs to manage international projects needs 
to  be  further  developed.  Although  there  has  been  a  positive  evolution  of  institutions  taking 
charge of CBHE project coordination, the Partner Country HEIs need more training and support to 
develop innovative project ideas, to submit competitive proposals and to ensure high quality in 
the implementation and management of international projects. 

•  The diversity of HEIs and individuals in the CBHE action needs to increase. The CBHE action 
focuses on high value projects and this favours experienced (often recurrent) and large HEIs. The 
‘entry barriers’ for smaller institutions and newcomers are high. One way to counterbalance this 
challenge would be to dedicate a share of the budget to smaller projects covering certain types 
of activities only (i.e. staff training activities, university professors exchanges, module updates, 
summer  schools,  etc.).  However,  such  an  approach  is  more  labour-intensive  to  manage  from 
EACEA, and would require the introduction of simplified funding modalities (e.g. lump sums) and 
simplified or external monitoring of project activities. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLE6. CONCLUSIONS

•  The involvement of some professors in several parallel projects (as coordinators and/or 
partners) - which sees them benefitting from generous salary ‘multiplications’ -  needs to be 
reviewed as it undermines the quality of project outputs. 

•  The  involvement  of  private  business  and  relevant  stakeholders  (e.g.  Chambers  of 
Commerce,  professional  associations,  etc.)  in  CBHE  projects  needs  to  be  increased  when  the 
connection to the world of work is important and students need relevant labour market skills. 
New  approaches  should  be  developed  to  ensure  a  significant  participation,  both  quantitively 
and qualitatively, of companies active in the Region. Mandatory involvement of non-academic 
partners could be envisaged, where appropriate. 

•  Students, and student associations should take part in CBHE projects (were relevant) from 
the  very  beginning.  This  would  enrich  project  development  and  implementation  and  allow  a 
better  match  between  project  outcomes  and  student  expectations  and  interests.  This  would 
also contribute to guaranteeing project sustainability, particularly for curriculum development 
projects. 

•  The inclusion of more young academics in CBHE projects would provide them with opportunities 
for continuous professional development and career options, and contribute to the fight against 
the brain drain.

•  More academics from Programme Countries should visit the Partner Country HEIs to teach 
as guest lecturers in graduate and postgraduate courses (BA, MA and doctoral programmes) 
within  the  curriculum  projects.  This  would  improve  knowledge  transfer  and  enforce  ties  and 
networks  between  institutions,  as  well  as  provide  more  visibility  and  credibility  vis-à-vis  the 
student body. 

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)25

CAPACITY BUILDING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (CBHE) ACTION REGIONAL REPORT  AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC COUNTRIES (ACP)TITLEGetting in touch with the EU 

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Erasmus+

Capacity Building in  
Higher Education (CBHE) action

Regional Report  
African Caribbean and Pacific 
Countries (ACP)
Resume

This  report  is  based  on  the  Education,  Audiovisual  and 
Culture  Executive  Agency’s  evaluation  of  the  first  nine 
interim  reports  of  the  second  generation  of  the  CBHE 
projects selected for funding in 2016, which was when the 
programme opened for first time to the African Caribbean 
and Pacific (ACP) Region.

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ISBN : 978-92-9484-365-4 
doi : 10.2797/769703