By Sharon Dell. Former South African president Nelson Mandela wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom that for young black South Africans like himself, the University of Fort Hare was “Oxford and Cambridge, Harvard and Yale, all rolled into one”. Read more...

By Karen MacGregor. There is growing collaboration between the vice-chancellors of 143 Nigerian federal, state and private universities, as well as with African and international associations, as leaders unite to develop and internationalise their institutions, says Professor Michael Faborode, secretary general of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities. Read more...

By Maina Waruru. The second phase of the African Union Research Grants has been launched with a call for proposals for research into food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture. US$9 million will be allocated for research this year, and more next year under the US$20 million initiative supported by the European Union. Read more...

By Wagdy Sawahel. A bill by the Nigerian parliament’s upper house to curb sexual harassment on university campuses – which carries jail sentences of up to five years for offenders – has successfully passed a second reading. A third and final reading of the bill is expected soon. Read more...

By Esther Nakkazi. Uganda’s nine public universities are set to undergo substantial restructuring as the government prepares to implement reforms recommending the formation of ‘innovation universities’. Read more...

By Karen MacGregor – Africa Editor. In Africa Analysis, Eilis Ferran argues that if all of the world’s leading research universities partnered with African institutions to boost research capacity, there could be a transformative impact on the continent’s capacity to produce knowledge. Elizabeth de Kadt, Brenda Leibowitz and Precious Sipuka report on a pilot staff development initiative that aims to empower senior academics to rethink approaches to the curriculum.
In Africa Features, Sharon Dell reports on the centenary celebrations of the University of Fort Hare in South Africa – the alma mater of numerous African leaders including Nelson Mandela – which were marred by violent student protests. We interview Michael Faborode, secretary general of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, and find institutions uniting in their efforts to develop higher education in Africa’s biggest economy.
In a series on ‘Transformative Leadership’, published in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, University World News looks at barriers to social equity and social justice and ways to overcome them through education. Suellen Shay suggests South African higher education leaders look beyond widening access to a vision of equity that is about re-landscaping the terrain to ensure a more appropriate higher education for all, and Rebecca Farnum looks at the growing movement of scholactivists, scholars who are keen to ensure their work has social impact.
In World Blog, Hans de Wit warns of the consequences of internationalisation indicators in global rankings, which influence the way universities and governments internationalise and the way internationalisation is measured. And in Commentary, Pratik Gandhi sets out the benefits to India of attracting more international students, and suggests how this can be done. Read more...