By Prof Ushotanefe Useh

Universities in Africa stand at a crossroads today. While they continue to produce research, award degrees and rank in global academic listings, an uncomfortable question lingers: are they truly serving the societies that fund and sustain them? Are their graduates solving the most pressing problems of the continent, or are they simply joining the long queues of unemployed youth?

As the continent looks to Agenda 2063, the blueprint of the African Union (AU) for a prosperous, integrated and peaceful Africa, and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is imperative that higher-education institutions reflect critically on their purpose. In their current form, too many of our universities appear disconnected from the realities around them. The disconnect between academic knowledge and its practical application continues to widen, and this failure must be addressed with urgency.

Africa’s challenge is not a lack of intelligence or ambition. It is a failure of systems – systems that produce graduates without equipping them with skills for a fast-changing, demanding world. In a 2016 report the African Development Bank cited a crisis of youth unemployment and migration. These trends are deeply linked to the inability of our educational systems to prepare students for work or entrepreneurship. As institutions of higher learning, we must accept some responsibility for this shortfall.

Universities must become engines of societal impact

The traditional mission of a university – namely to teach, conduct research and serve society, remains relevant. However, the third element, societal service, is often the weakest. Academic impact, measured by journal citations and global rankings, has taken centre stage, while community impact is often treated as peripheral, if not forgotten entirely.

This academic culture, driven by the mantra "publish or perish", has created a system where research often ends up in international journals, with little to no relevance for the communities from which the problems originally arose. We must ask ourselves: of what value is research that cannot be felt, seen or applied to improve the lives of the people around us?

A society as young and dynamic as that of Africa requires research that is solution-driven, research that addresses local challenges in health, agriculture, energy, water access and poverty alleviation. Research must be felt in the streets, not just in seminar halls.

Rethinking curriculum and learning approaches

There is an urgent need to revisit our curricula. African universities must redesign their academic programmes to reflect the demands of the 21st century and the aspirations embedded in Agenda 2063 and the SDGs. Degrees must not merely confer prestige; they must translate into competence, relevance and innovation.

Our teaching methods must evolve. Problem-based learning, challenge-driven education and development education should become core approaches. These

pedagogies do not just impart knowledge; they develop character, deepen understanding and empower students to think critically and act decisively.

Moreover, interdisciplinary research, involving faculties of science, engineering, health, commerce and the humanities, must become the norm. The complexity of Africa’s problems demands collaboration across disciplines. Climate change, food insecurity and public health cannot be tackled in silos. No single faculty can claim ownership of solutions to these issues. Joint action is not optional; it is essential.

The place of Agenda 2063 in university research

Agenda 2063 provides a powerful framework for African development. Its 12 broad goals, ranging from poverty eradication and health care to good governance, security and innovation, are not just aspirations; they are measurable targets. Universities have a vital role to play in achieving these objectives. The research emerging from our postgraduate institutions should align deliberately with these goals.

In practice, this means directing graduate research towards societal needs, particularly those related to the AU and UN development agendas. Theses and dissertations must go beyond theoretical exploration to provide real-world applications. And, where possible, research findings should be communicated not only in academic language but also in formats and local languages that are accessible to communities and policy makers alike.

It is time to bridge the gap between town and gown.

Towards a new measure of success

For decades, the impact of African academics has been measured by the number of their publications and the impact factor of the journals in which they appear. While this form of assessment has its place, it must no longer be the only or most important metric.

Instead, we must begin to ask: How has this research improved the lives of ordinary people? Has it led to policy change? Has it inspired innovation? Has it created jobs or improved livelihoods? If we cannot answer these questions positively, then we must rethink our priorities.

The societal impact of research is not impossible to measure. It requires a shift in thinking and in academic culture, a shift that places value on service to community as much as it does on scholarship. This is not to diminish the value of rigorous, peer-reviewed research, but to contextualise it within the needs of our continent.

A call to action

The future of Africa will not be secured by policies alone, but by the purposeful engagement of its institutions, especially its universities. If African universities are to lead the charge towards the Africa we want, then they must reposition themselves not only as centres of learning, but as active engines of national and continental development.

This means embracing curriculum reform, fostering cross-disciplinary partnerships, aligning research with development goals and measuring success through impact, not just citations.

The challenges for Africa are vast, but so too is its potential. With the right leadership, vision and commitment, our universities can become powerful agents of transformation. We must stop exporting our best minds and start exporting homegrown solutions. The work begins now – in the classrooms, the laboratories and, most importantly, in the communities that look to us for hope and progress.

Only then can we say that our universities are truly fit for purpose in a continent yearning for change.

 Prof Ushotanefe Useh, deputy dean in the Faculty of Health Sciences Email: ushotanefe.useh@nwu.ac.za