A South African journal editor has said that scientists and universities have a duty to face down ‘post-truths’ and ensure they have credibility, reports The Huffington Post SA. Read more...

By Munyaradzi Makoni. Africa’s ability to meet the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals is closely tied up with its research capacity, which hands universities on the continent a particular responsibility for enhanced collaboration, and engagement with government and industry, according to African speakers at the sixth World Sustainability Forum held recently in Cape Town, South Africa. Read more...

By Christabel Ligami. Qualified and reliable lecturers should be recruited and appointed by a central body, according to a proposal by Kenyan university chancellors that seeks to ensure quality education in both public and private universities. Read more...

By Tonderayi Mukeredzi. The government has awarded the tender to carry out a scientific study of the economic impact of Western sanctions to a consortium of researchers at the University of Zimbabwe in a move that critics say is intended to boost the chances of the ruling party and its almost 93-year-old president in the 2018 general elections. Read more...

By Sharon Dell – Africa Editor. In Africa Features, Gilbert Nganga writes about recent government and private sector initiatives to uplift the technical and vocational education sector in Kenya as a means to create the skills base needed to meet the country’s industrialisation ambitions.
In Africa Analysis, Alejandro Caballero, global education specialist at the International Finance Corporation, discusses the value of globally-versed, and regionally-minded African leadership in ensuring that higher education in Africa produces graduates capable of doing the high-skilled jobs demanded by the labour market.
In our special report on the World Sustainability Forum held in Cape Town last month, Munyaradzi Makoni reports on the keynote address by world-renowned economist Dr Jeffrey D Sachs in which he outlines the importance of universities in achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. In a separate article he reports on the input by Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng of the University of Cape Town on the importance of research for sustainability and the subsequent roundtable discussion on education for sustainable development.
In Africa News, Tonderayi Mukeredzi reports on reaction to the award of a government tender to the University of Zimbabwe for a research study into the effects of Western sanctions on the Zimbabwean economy, while Ochieng’ O Benny reports on a landmark agreement between the Association of African Universities and eLearnAfrica, the continent’s largest online education platform, which aims to boost educational access for millions of students.
In World Blog this week, Angel Calderon explains why Times Higher Education’s ranking of the world’s 150 most international universities in 2017 differs radically to that published in 2016, now favouring US and European universities.
Last week University World News, in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation and DrEducation, hosted their free international webinar asking, “Can universities be crucibles of transformative leadership developing students to be capable of making an impact on society?” Stephen Coan reports back for the Africa edition. Read more...