MAKING THE MOST OF AFRICA’S GRADUATES & THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS THE CIDA SUPPORTED AAU & AUCC PARTNERSHIP STRENGTHENING HIGHER EDUCATION STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS IN AFRICA

INTRODUCTION ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES (AAU): FOUNDED 1967 WITH 34 PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES SECRETARIAT IN ACCRA, GHANA SINCE 1970 FIRST SECRETARY GENERAL - YUSUF K. LULE (FIRST AFRICAN/UGANDAN PRINCIPAL OF MAKARERE COLLEGE) CURRENT MEMBERSHIP 257 PUBLIC, PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER DEGREE-AWARDING HEIs

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES OF CANADA (AUCC): FOUNDED IN 1911 MEMBERSHIP; 95 PUBLIC & PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES AND UNIVERSITY COLLEGES SECRETARIAT IN OTTAWA INTRODUCTION..

AAU-AUCC PARTNERSHIP 2003 SIGNED MEMORUNDUM OF UNDERSTANDING OF (MOU), MUCH OF IT ACTUALISED IN 2006 INITIAL FOCUS ON JOINT PROGRAMMES ON GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT ISSUE IN AFRICAN HEIs AND CANADA-AFRICA CHAIRS AT 12 TH AAU GEN CONF IN ABUJA, NIGERIA, IN MAY 2009 AAU AND AUCC HELD INFORMAL DISCUSSION ON A NEW JOINT PROGRAM LATE NOV 2009 AAU & AUCC SUBMITTED JOINT PROPOSAL TO CIDA

AAU CORE PROGRAMME (CP) (2009 – 2013) 12 TH AAU GEN CONFERENCE APPROVED NEW CP UNDER THEME: ‘RENEWING AND NETWORKING AFRICAN HEIs TO MEET LOCAL AND REGIONAL CHALLENGES’. 4 SUB-THEMES: (i) RENEWAL/STRENGTHENING AFRICAN HEIs (ii) AFRICAN HEIs RESPONDING TO LOCAL & REGIONAL CHALLENGES (iii)PROMOTING KNOWLEDGE GENERATION & DISSEMINATION (iv) SPECIAL ISSUES

UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY LINKAGES ADDRESSED IN SUB-THEME 1 OF CP KEY ISSUES: TO ADDRESS CONSTANT CRITICISM MANY AFRICAN HEIs NOT ABLE TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, INDUSTRY AND OTHER PRODUCTIVE SECTORS WEAK LINK BETWEEN HEIs & INDUSTRY TO ADVANCE AFRICA’S INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, HEIs NEED TO FORGE STRONG AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY INDUSTRY AND OTHER PRODUCTIVE SECTORS MAIN EMPLOYERS OF GRADUATES CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES HAVE LONG TRADITION AND EXPERIENCE OF PARTNERING WITH INDUSTRY – BEST PRACTICE TO BORROW/LEARN FROM

WHY UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY LINKAGE/PARTNERSHIPS GRADUATES JOIN THE WORLD OF WORK WITH REQUISITE EMPLOYABLE SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE TO MEET A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE LABOUR MARKET; INDUSTRY IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDER TO HEIs e.g. RESEARCH FUNDING; HEIs NEED TO TAILOR CURRICULA TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE ECONOMY DUE TO PUBLIC DEMAND TO ACCOUNT, HEIs NO LONGER ‘IVORY TOWERS’- EDUCATION FOR A PURPOSE NEED TO TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONS GENERATED THROUGH RESEARCH IN HEIs LABORATORIES FOR WEALTH CREATION

AAU – AUCC PARTNERSHIP MAY 2010 CIDA APPROVED 3-YEAR, C$2.3 M JOINT PROJECT ON STRENGTHENING HE STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS IN AFRICA PROJECT ADDRESES 3 COMPONENTS: (i) STRENGTHENING AFRICAN UNIVERSITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS; (ii) UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY LINKAGES; (iii) STRENGTHENING AAU STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS AFRICAN HEIs TO PARTNER WITH CANADAIAN HEIs

PROJECT GOALS 2 GOALS: (i)ENABLE HE IN AFRICA BETTER RESPOND TO LOCAL, NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC PRIORITIES; (ii)ENHANCE CAPACITY OF AAU SECRETARIAT, AAU MEMBER INSTITUTIONS AND EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING GOVERNMENTS, PRIVATE SECTOR AND COMMUNITY TO WORK TOGETHER TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF THE LABOUR MARKET

PROJECT ACTIVITIES BY COMPONENT : ALL ACTIVITIES OUTLINED BELOW INCLUDE STUDY MISSIONS TO CANADA & AFRICA STRENGTHENING AFRICAN UNIVERSITY OUTREACH: AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES TO STRENGTHEN THEIR STRATEGIC PLANS FOR IMPROVED OUTREACH PROGRAMS UNIVERISTY – INDUSTRY LINKAGE: AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES WILL PRODUCE A SERIES OF CASE STUDIES HIGHLIGHTING SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY LINKAGES; INCLUDES A SURVEY ON CURRENT UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY LINKAGES IN AFRICA & CANADA STRENGTHENING AAU STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS: AAU TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUCC TO STRENGTHEN THE ASSOCIATION’S OWN EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS AND ITS CAPACITY TO SUPPORT ITS MEMBER INSTITUTIONS.

AAU/AUCC SURVEY ON UNIVERSITY – INDUSTRY LINKAGES TO BE CONDUCTED IN AFRICAN & PARTNER CANADIAN HEIs SURVEY INTENDED TO SCAN THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF HEI ENGAGEMENT WITH INDUSTRY, ASSESS INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AND PREPAREDNESS TO ENGAGE IN THESE EMERGING RELATIONSHIPS

SURVEY.. SURVEY QUESTIONS DESIGNED TO CAPTURE INFORMATION ON INTER ALIA: -CAPACITY OF INSTITUTIONAL INTERFACE STRUCTURES (E.G. PRESENCE AND ROLE OF INDUSTRY LIAISON OFFICES AND POSITIONS) -PRESENCE OF INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND PROTOCOLS FOR GUIDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY EG. POLICIES ON SHARING IP, ROYALTIES, COSTING OF CONTRACTED RESEARCH

SURVEY.. - DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH INDUSTRY, AND IN WHICH SECTORS -LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT OF INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY (GUEST LECTURERS, ASSIST IN CURRICULA DEVELOPMENT) -CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF ENGAGEMENT

SURVEY OUTCOMES SURVEY RESULTS TO: - FEED INTO AAU LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS -HELP AAU AND OTHER PARTNERS BETTER RESPOND TO THE ACTUAL NEEDS OF AFRICAN HEIs STRIVING TO BUILD UNIVERSITY- INDUSTRY LINKAGES