Revitalising Higher Education in the Age of Globalisation

Discourses of globalisation and the knowledge-based economy have continued to shape the landscape of higher education globally. Increased levels of interdependence and growing economic and cultural linkages among nations, ways in which contemporary globalisation is often understood, have called for new roles for higher education in the 21^st century. Further, the growing realisation of the importance of knowledge as a key driver of economic growth continues to underpin major transformations in universities around the world. It is now widely acknowledged that in the 21^st century, higher education has entered into an almost uncharted territory characterised by advances in communication and information technologies, the rapid flow of ideas, people, and technology across borders, emerging policy networks at regional and international levels, growing regional and international partnerships between institutions, and the proliferation of cross border higher education providers. This chapter posits that the challenges confronting African higher education in the age of globalisation are multiple and varied.