The relevant university: African universities and innovation in times of transition

QC 20241126

Abstract

Higher education studies and innovation studies are both critical to understand how universities may foster innovation particularly in Africa, where universities have described the task of fostering innovation as a core institutional mission. However, these fields of research rarely interact with one another, As a result, it is difficult to understand innovation in conceptual and methodological terms. This thesis addresses this gap by combining policy studies, university and innovation history studies, and higher education studies. To understand the relationship between African universities and innovation, we need to look at higher education on the continent over time.

On a transcontinental scale, the thesis seeks to understand why the African Union formed its science, technology, and innovation policies and strategies, as well as how this continental body views the role of universities in innovation. At the national and institutional levels, the focus is on understanding how university innovation policies have evolved in two African countries: Kenya and Mozambique. The general research question is: how did innovation become a priority in Sub-Saharan African universities? The thesis further examines the challenges in implementing innovation projects and pursuing technology transfer in Africa, with a particular emphasis at Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. Particular attention is paid to the role of universities in high-profile development projects in the agricultural sector that run over a longer period.

I used historical methods of research to conduct the four empirical studies related to the four articles in this thesis, which included collecting and examining documents, records, and archives pertaining to the development of innovation policies and strategies by the African Union (AU), the University of Nairobi (UoN), and Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM). I also examined literature about innovation policies of African Universities, conducted case studies at the continental (AU) and national levels (UoN and UEM), interviewed key informants involved in the formulation and revision of innovation policies in both universities, and held focus group discussions. I used a historical approach to determine when, why, and how innovation policy became a focus at UoN, UEM, and the African Union. As a result, I identify pivotal events which indicate when these universities began to address their role in innovation and build their innovation policies.

The thesis includes five main findings: (1) it provides new knowledge about when, how, and why innovation and innovation policy became an integrated part of African universities' strategy and practice; (2) it shows that African universities focus on innovation as a means to obtain "relevance"; (3) it demonstrates that African universities apply a broad definition of innovation (technological, social, and organizational); (4) it identifies that African colleges have numerous challenges in implementing innovation, including economic, knowledge-based, and expanding industrial demand; (5) it stresses the importance of local university expertise, as well as participation and collaboration with local communities and international stakeholders, when implementing new projects. This thesis characterizes universities’ attempts to handle innovation in policy and practice, emphasizing innovation as a crucial goal for African institutions trying to remain relevant. When tackling policy and practice innovation, universities have to consider their brief histories of training, learning about the university's function, and the significance of knowledge in society.

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