International Partnerships Can Be Powerful Tools for Africa's Universities
When
an African university signs a memorandum of understanding, whether with
a counterpart on the continent or one elsewhere in the world, there is
great excitement. The university itself usually issues a statement
celebrating this collaboration and glowing pieces often appear in local
media.
Then the headlines taper off, enthusiasm wanes - and, far too
frequently, these memorandums are left to gather dust in university
management offices. They become reference material rather than the basis
of productive relationships between institutions.
This is not just an African problem. The international universities
that come on board as partners also battle to make the jump from signing
these memos to actual activities.
But if these memorandums of understanding are properly planned,
developed and put into action, they can contribute a great deal to any
African university's push for internationalisation.
An eye on the global prize
A university's internationalisation strategy is fast becoming a tool
to measure the institution's innovation, global relevance and its
potential contribution to national goals.
A good internationalisation strategy can help to develop an African
university's brand, both at home and abroad. It can also create new
revenue generation schemes, which is extremely valuable at a time when
institutions are facing a funding crunch.
Universities can use these memorandums of understanding and
partnerships to increase their academic and research footprints on
global issues. There is room for institutions to adopt global best
practices when it comes to content, programmes and processes.
There are huge benefits for students, too. They are exposed to
different ways of thinking through visiting academics, and opportunities
to study elsewhere through exchange programmes. Postgraduates can
collaborate on research with international peers. All of this ultimately
prepares them to contribute to their own economies and to work anywhere
in the world.
The frontrunners
Some African institutions have made great strides to take their
partnerships from paper to reality. The University of Benin in Nigeria
signed a binding memorandum of agreement with Lancaster University in
the United Kingdom in late 2014. The institutions had started with a
memorandum of understanding in 2013.
The universities have since developed a split-site PhD programme,
whose first batch of students will start work at the end of 2015. They
have also developed a forum that is designed to help bridge the gaps
between academia and industry in Nigeria. Participants learn from the
experiences of their colleagues at the Lancaster Environment Centre of
Lancaster University.
Two successful meetings have already been held under this banner.
Another successful collaboration which grew from a memorandum of
understanding is that between Strathmore University in Kenya and
Rwanda's University of Kigali. This focuses on regional content
development. The University of Port Harcourt in Nigeria has established a
postgraduate Institute of Petroleum Studies. This evolved from a
collaboration between the university and the IFP School, a research
institution in France.
Stumbling blocks
Conversations I have had with university administrators around the
continent reveal that many lack the knowledge to bring memorandums of
understanding to life.
Often, universities will sign agreements even though their new
partners have totally different academic programmes, priorities and
processes. This disconnect is worsened by the complex structures of all
universities and the frequently fraught relationship between the
administrative and academic section of institutions.
My discussions suggest that most African universities assign a
lecturer or administrator - who is great at their core job - to manage
memorandums of understanding once they've been signed. This added
responsibility requires time, resources and knowledge. Too often, it
falls to someone who wasn't even involved in signing the memorandum.
International partnerships can be expensive, and it is tough for
resource-poor universities in Africa to find the funding they need to
get things started. Travel, conferences and exchanges all cost money.
Finally, it is worth remembering that memorandums of understanding
are not usually legally binding - so it can be hard to enforce all the
clauses and make sure that both parties do everything that is required
of them.
Lessons from the pioneers
Here are some of things that institutions should consider when a memorandum of understanding is on the table:
You need to appoint a strategic champion with the relevant skills and
give them the necessary resources and time to bring this relationship
to life. The most relevant attributes are resourcefulness, stakeholder
management, strategic partnership insights and international outlook.
Plan big but start small. Chose a low cost, high impact but simple
activity - a seminar, workshop or meeting - to launch the relationship.
This will give both institutions a chance to learn about each other's
systems, processes and stakeholders before investing more money in
bigger initiatives.
Plan for a binding memorandum of agreement while setting up the
memorandum of understanding. Communicate about and agree on the phased
transition from one to the other. Set up timelines, deliverables and
milestones.
Agree on clear roles and responsibilities. Be clear about what mutual
benefits you would like to see. Start these conversations at the very
beginning of the process so that the memorandum of understanding
contains everything you envision.
It is also important at this point to establish exactly who will be
involved, how communication should happen and what decisions need to be
taken in the short term. Many of these memorandums suffer because too
many or too few people get involved when the ball is already rolling.
