Defining an innovative path for Africa in the fourth industrial revolution

By Sharon Dell – Africa Editor. In Africa Features, Stephen Coan interviews aspiring Martian, theoretical physicist and innovation expert Adriana Marais about the role of African universities in the fourth industrial revolution. We also interview a unique team of three academics – a father and his two sons – about their new book on African philosophy of education which draws on some of their experiences in setting up and running a massive open online course at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. From Nigeria, Tunde Fatunde draws out some detail and implications of the latest government crackdown on illegal universities, while Gilbert Nakweya ponders the efficacy of strike action in Kenyan universities as a means to resolve academics’ grievances.
   In Africa Analysis, Wondwosen Tamrat discusses the pressures on universities in Ethiopia to generate income through their course offerings, and some of the pitfalls involved.
   In News from the continent, Wagdy Sawahel covers the recent violence on Moroccan campuses among student political formations, and Kudzai Mashininga reports on the African Development Bank’s latest investment in higher education aimed at industrialisation.
   In world News, Yojana Sharma outlines an Economist Intelligence Unit ranking of countries’ preparedness for an automation revolution; and in World Blog Hans de Wit highlights a growing need for training for university leaders to strengthen their ability to drive internationalisation, which has moved from the margins to the centre of higher education. More...