A Content analysis of the vision and mission statements of top ten leading Universities in Africa

Abstract

The vision and mission statements have the groundwork of any corporate strategy because they help to guide the institution’s mode of operation, develop a common purpose, foster a culture of mutual expectations, and also facilitate leadership styles. In more specific term, the vision and mission statement characterizes the most significant steps to be taken or completed by the university’s decision-maker. To accomplish this study, a sample of the top 10 African universities was analyzed using the Atlas.ti and the list was obtained from the Times Higher Education and the world’s best university ranking of 2022 in terms of their prestige and rivalry with other universities around the world. The findings highlight significant differences between the top 10 African universities’ vision statements and mission statements in terms that the vision statement trend toward a global influence which a deep drive for research and the mission statement was typically longer than the vision statement. However, this study fills a gap in the current literature in regard to universities in Africa by analyzing the vision and mission statements to determine their strategic intent. Altogether, the study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in the field of strategic management for universities in Africa.