**4. Higher education (HE) in Africa**

While HE is not a new concept in Africa, this level of scholarship has been a preserve for the privileged few. Back in the colonial days [1880s–1950s], HE in Africa

was first accessed only by the children of the chiefs and loyal families. However, prior- and post-independence in early 1960s and 1970s many governments in Africa recognized the role of HE in economic and human capital development. Much as African governments at that time committed modest resources to HE, these governments extended HE opportunities to children from poor families who academically brilliant. The motivation was to prepare citizens for the few government white color jobs. However, the 1990s on wards have seen declining governments' commitments towards financing of HE in Africa. Equity in financing of HE remains a huge challenge in Africa [7] and yet, "the doors to HE must be open to all worthy students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, gender, and regional origin" ([7], p. xiv). Interestingly, the demand for HE in Africa is rapidly expanding and the numbers of private HEIs in Africa have more than doubled in the last two decades. For example, "in 2018, there were 1682 universities in Africa, up from 784 in 2000" [8]. HE also contributes to social mobility by enabling low-income students to move up the income ladder [7]. However, Africa's knowledge capital remains very low due to poor quality of education since most graduates lack the needed competences [9].

It is also important to note that the developed and developing/emerging economies of the world have invested heavily in HE compared to third world countries. Evidence shows that "nations increase their knowledge base by investing heavily in HE and research institutions in order to position themselves in the global competition" ([3], p. 292). Thus, African nations should consolidate their efforts towards ensuring the quality of higher education and training with particular emphasis on laying a firm foundation in scientific research, technology and innovation [8]. This of course has serious implication on financing of HE. Indeed, "production of new knowledge is and [remains to be] the core function of tertiary education" ([10], p. 12). This core function can be enhanced even further when HEIs emphasize and promote cross cutting-edge scientific research, technological knowledge and innovation in response to compelling social, economic, political, and environmental problems facing our society.

"Education leaders regardless of their location will need to position their institutions at the intersections of commerce, culture, and technological transfers to gain the most out of the connectivity and knowledge that benefit their local quality of life" ([11], p. 609). Indeed, society should look up to HEIs for the creation of new knowledge and innovation [12] granted that "Universities can also be important magnets for talent and innovation, when attracting top students" ([13], p. 114). The top students with best brains can make a difference through their contribution to knowledge production and innovation. Thus, HEIs are not only engines of innovation but also incubators for economic transformation and development to meet the global challenges [8].

Regrettably, as earlier indicated, there has been declining investment in HE in most African countries. This is reflected by the fact that most HEIs in Africa with the exception of Egypt and South Africa have tended to lag behind in cutting-edge scientific research, technology and innovation [8]. Indeed, African nations continue to be major knowledge consumers and seekers as opposed to knowledge creators/ producers. In fact, the continent's research output is extremely low accounting for 1.01% of the global research output [8]. As such, Africa as a continent will continue to be alien to the main players that substantively contribute towards the solution formulation to meet real global challenges. Indeed, "The potential of HE's contribution to Africa's development remains underdeveloped and often misunderstood, [Yet,] in today's globalized world, which prioritizes economic growth through liberalized trade and competitive market strategies, much emphasis has been placed on HE's ability to produce graduates to serve the labor market and produce new knowledge for the knowledge economy" ([2], p. xiii). However, this potential

*Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa Embracing the "New Normal" for Knowledge… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101063*

cannot be achieved if HEIs continue to produce graduates with mismatched skills to the current job market [14]. The question of ensuring that the individuals that graduate from HEIs are employable in the twenty-first century remains a huge concern in Africa [8].

This has serious implication for the existing "institutional missions and curricula" ([1], p. 21). There is need to revisit the relevance of the current institutional missions and curricula especially by focusing on their alignment with the twenty-first century job market demands. Thus widening access and opportunities for HE in Africa without actually ensuring that the rising numbers of graduates are employable and have acquired the twenty-first century skills remains a serious dilemma. However, one cannot dream of graduates being endowed with the twentyfirst century skills without the curricula integration of such skills into interactive and engaging activities and experiences for students. This requires to focus on the utilization of pedagogical strategies that can enhance student-centered learning [15]. For instance, encouraging student' led inquiry and collaborations, prepares them to operate effectively, communicate and work independently. Thus, the need to adjust curricula and pedagogical demands of the twenty-first century HE [8] cannot be underestimated.

However, this is unlikely to happen unless HEIs revisit the issue of quality in terms of education and training experiences offered to their young people granted that educational quality is the key to enhancing the quality of citizens/people [9]. Therefore, it takes quality education and training experiences to develop quality knowledge capital. For instance, creating provisions for active participation/ engagement of youths in scientific research draws them into increased learning opportunities that can promote the development of innovative ideas [5] and hence, their likelihood to contribute meaningfully in creating innovative projects. In fact those involved in the innovation research projects and processes tend to organically gain competences through interactive learning [5].
