British Council: Creating Educational Atmosphere for Improved Quality, Sustainability in Africa 

In a bid to revolutionise Africa’s tertiary education landscape, the British Council recently organised the Going Global Africa Conference in Abuja, which brought together stakeholders from across the continent to tackle the pressing issue of equipping university graduates with the skills needed to succeed in the modern workforce. Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole reports

African countries have long been grappling with the problem of producing university graduates who are termed unemployable, and the hiring organisations will have to spend money on training them. Hence, the need to tackle this challenge headlong, the British Council convened a global Africa conference to equip university graduates with the skills needed to succeed in the modern workforce.

Themed ‘Building Sustainable and Relevant Tertiary Education Institutions and Systems in Africa,’ the conference aimed to bridge the gap between skills acquired in tertiary institutions and skills needed by the various employing industries. The conference was thus poised to help resolve this through collaborative efforts between African countries and their universities. 

According to the experts, there is a gap because tertiary institutions often fail to equip students with the skills required in the workplace. Today, the reality in Africa is that academia is not producing ready graduates for the industry. When the industries employ, they still have to train these graduates to fit their job requirements. If African countries are key to the collaboration that the British Council is offering, in no distant time, African countries will benefit immensely and grow their economies to become strong and sustainable. This is because academia will produce graduates for the industry and create entrepreneurs who will create businesses, expanding the economy’s growth and creating more jobs. 

Some of the ways the conference proposed to help solve the challenges are through collaborative actions and international partnerships. Tertiary education institutions in Africa can achieve their own targets regarding Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 (inclusive and equitable quality education), influence the whole education system in terms of learning quality and inclusion, and contribute through interdisciplinary approaches in education and research programmes. 

This is not just for SDG 8 (full and productive employment and decent work for all) but for all other SDGs. At the conference, relevant questions were also asked, including how tertiary education and research in the region can meet the growing demands of young people, their communities, industries, and society. 

Other questions included: Can tertiary education providers, universities, colleges, and others remain relevant and deliver knowledge, skills and qualifications that meet societal needs and best prepare young people for the future? in a world where labour market requirements are undergoing profound changes? How can research and innovation help address evolving needs? What is hindering institutional and system alignment to the changing landscape, and what factors could help accelerate innovation and positive change? How can skills be used for employability? Can entrepreneurship and enterprise development be integrated into teaching and learning so that young graduates can more easily navigate the world of work? What role do curricula and pedagogies play in this? What role(s) should employers play, and what policy changes and incentives would support greater employer engagement? How can tertiary education best address the needs of industry? How can we best harness the potential of technology to enhance learning and research? What risks and opportunities are created by technology-enhanced learning and advances in artificial intelligence? How can we ensure that they drive sustainability and equity?

The Deputy Country Director of the British Council, Chilufya Besa, noted that the conference was to create a system that answers the needs of young people, who make up 70 per cent of Africa’s population. He also emphasised the importance of the collaborative efforts with the Federal Ministry of Education, highlighting the minister’s presence at the opening session. Besa also noted that the conference is all about creating a relevant and sustainable system of tertiary institutions in Africa. This is relevant because there is a skills gap between what is taught in the institutions and the skills needed in the workplace.

“We wanted to put an intentional focus on narrowing that gap between institutions and industries. So, we brought together industrial stakeholders and academics to talk together about how that gap can be bridged. I think we have been able to achieve that in this conference,” he said. 

He added that the collaboration is aimed at identifying key takeaways for the education ministry to implement. Many challenges face African tertiary institutions, including inadequate funding, opposition from academic pressure groups, shortage of professional supervisors, inadequate supervision materials, poor capacity development of supervisors, corruption, inadequate transportation facilities, and insecurity problems. These challenges, like funding, can be solved through increased funding from government and grants, increased budget for research and development, and collaborations and partnerships. This is where the British Council comes in, with what it’s offering African tertiary institutions, which will breach the gap between academia and industry, bring in more funding sources, improve capacity building, and improve education quality for sustainable development. 

Speaking on the proposed partnership between the British Council and the Nigerian government, the Nigerian Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, said that these partnerships are key to harnessing the potential of young Nigerians. He also noted that the government is aware of Nigerian universities’ challenges, including financial and high demand, and is committed to tackling these challenges.

The British Council has committed to supporting Nigeria’s transnational education through the British Council Transnational Education (TNE) Exploratory Grants Scheme. He also noted that the British Council has hosted conferences in Nigeria to debate the future of higher education partnerships, which is key to harnessing the strength of Africa’s young people. Africa is estimated to have over 2.5 billion people by 2050, and education partnerships are needed to harness the demographic dividend. 

If African countries truly want to develop an education sector that will drive sustainable economic growth and development, they must be key to this partnership to achieve sustainability. As it stands today, African tertiary institutions are in crisis due to the numerous challenges they are going through. If they must train graduates that will turn around African economies, they must be ready to follow the part those who have used education to improve their economies followed in order for them to succeed.