03. N’Dri T. Assié-Lumumba, Africana Studies and Research Center
N’Dri T. Assié-Lumumba
Higher Education in Africa: Crises, Reforms, and Transformation (Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, 2006). Assié-Lumumba provides theoretical tools for analyzing contemporary African higher education systems and institutions. She examines policy challenges and the prospects for social progress. The book traces the historical roots and the global factors contributing to the African higher education crisis and the search for solutions, with analyses of the origins, nature, and mission of African higher education; the problems associated with cultural colonization and the dependency trap; the global/local nexus, with special attention to the structural adjustment programs (SAPs); and various waves of reforms and innovations. It also presents a synopsis of studies conducted, highlighting findings and recommendations. Assié-Lumumba argues for the need to identify new opportunities for African higher education in the selective use of information and communication technologies and decolonized global partnerships. Higher education has the potential to serve the public good, the author argues, promoting structural change by using African assets, including indigenous knowledge, within the context of fusion and the African diaspora.