Page 32 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 6

AFRIKA'S DEVELOPMENT

40 years ago. While there has
been a rapid, breathtaking tech-
nological innovation in medi-
cine, for example, there has not
been a corresponding change
in the medical curriculum in Ni-
gerian universities. A course in
business administration is done
the same way as it is done in,
say, an American university as
if the student is an American.
A law curriculum is arranged in
such a way that pre-eminence
is given to the study of laws that
originated in Europe.
Higher technical education is
increasingly recognized as crit-
societal transformation.
ical to development, especially
University education, as it is presently constituted in Nigeria and
with growing awareness of the Africa, is geared towards producing graduates who are job seek-
role of science, technology and
ers rather than job creators. Universities also need to integrate
innovation in economic growth.
with their local communities and help to promote local economic
Universities and research
transformation. The aim of such a new movement of the formal
institutions are well placed to
education system, which I call a communiversity, is to produce
aid development through their entrepreneurial graduates who are likely to generate jobs in their
involvement with the local
communities while adding to the growth of the economy. Such com-
business industry and society.
muniversities consciously recognize and transcend the embedded
Universities and institutions in
dichotomies in the conventional mode of knowledge creation.
developing countries can aid
They are the future of education in Africa and the world.
development by focusing some
of their technical training on
specific development needs.
Nigerian polytechnics were es-
tablished precisely to meet the
demand for specialized training
in various fields of expertise in
order to hasten development.
Unfortunately, the craze for uni-
versity degrees and the prestige
of being labeled a university
graduate often makes polytech-
nic graduates feel inferior and
less valued.
It is very important that universi-
ties in Africa focus on encourag-
ing innovation and concentrate About the author
on building entrepreneurial
Anselm Adodo is a catholic priest and director of one of Africa’s largest
skills among students to help
phytomedicine company, called paxherbals, and Director of Pax Centre for
them develop the capacity to
transform ideas into business Integral Research and Development. His most recent books include ‘The
proposals and actual products Idea of the Communiversity’ (Beacon academic, 2019), and ‘Healing Plants
of Nigeria’ (Routledge, 2020). Anselm is a visiting lecturer at Nigeria’s
and services; otherwise, these
premier University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a Fellow of the Nigeria society of
universities remain mere ivo-
Botanists and an adjunct research fellow of Nigeria Institute of medical
ry towers with no impact on
Research.

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