North-South cooperation to strengthen universities in Africa

From the mid seventies and until very recently the combination of ill conceived policies, negative economic performances, socio-political instability and poor institutional management have had a very negative impact on higher education and research in Africa. Universities in general lost significant part of their academic and technical staff, their initiative and sense of direction, plagued by poor to bad relationship with national governments, financial constraints and student unrest, have reached a state or near paralysis. As the process of democratization and economic restructuring begin to induce socio-political stability and positive economic growth rates, and new hopes for what is now called ''Africa renaissance'' are in the horizon, universities also embark upon processes of self assessment and revitalization. Governments and funding agencies begin to pay more attention to higher education and research as fundamental investment in the future and pre-conditions for long term and sustained development. International and particularly North-South academic cooperation, which continue to sustain the flame of hope during the long period of crises, have an important role to play also in the new phase. The paper discusses the mission and strategies for revitalization of universities in Africa and draws some lessons and recommendations from the experience of international academic cooperation.