Challenges Faced by African Private Higher Educations in the Process of Offering Academic Programs That Meet the Needs of Their Stakeholders

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework that will enable private institutes of higher education to identify the academic programs that are likely to meet the needs of stakeholders in Africa, the challenges that are likely to act as barriers to the process of offering academic programs which meet the needs of stakeholders and to suggest effective ways of overcoming the challenges that are likely to act as barriers to the process of offering academic programs in Africa. This paper was based upon a review of theories, research findings and reports gathered from relevant literatures. The study identified the following academic programs that are likely to meet the needs of stakeholders in Africa: development needs that require engineers which present opportunities for skills development. The following challenges are likely to act as barriers to the process of offering academic programs: Most of private institutes of high education have limited investment in infrastructure hindering them from offering courses in engineering and medical areas, higher education professionals are confronted with some major difficulties when consulting and engaging with industry, particularly with firms which have limited interest in business growth and entrepreneurial motives tend to under value the importance of personal and workforce skills, the freedom of individual faculty members, incentive structure (salaries, promotions, and granting of tenure) that does not recognize faculty contributions to sustainable development, lack of desire to change, lack of pressure from society. The present study suggests the following effective ways of addressing the challenges that are likely to act as barriers to the process of offering academic programs: Private institutes of high education will have to raise enough money, design and develop academic programs in consultation with the students, industrial practitioners and employers, need to target firms which have more interest in business growth and entrepreneurial motives, provide transformative education Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Private Higher Education in Africa 212 rather than merely transmissive education to prepare students’ capability of addressing complex sustainability challenges, conduct inter and trans disciplinary research, have societal problem-solving orientation in education and research, provide leadership and vision that promotes needed change accompanied by proper assignment of responsibility and rewards.