Challenges, Strategies and Recommendations for Reengineering Engineering Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

Abstract

With the continent of Africa occupying the front seat of underdevelopment in the world, and its population increasing exponentially, there is an urgent need to come up with strategies to tackle the underdevelopment ravaging the continent and the demand posed by its constantly growing population. Engineering through appropriate engineering education is the answer to these challenges. In this review article, some of the challenges facing engineering education in sub-Saharan Africa such as responsiveness and relevance in the design of the undergraduate curriculum, shortage in the engineering capacity, etc. were studied. The factors that influence engineering education, in general, were also discussed and the strategies that are required for producing engineering graduates capable of taking up the challenges facing the 21st century engineers in the region were highlighted. Lastly, the review presents a guide for future engineering education and recommendations on how to re-engineer engineering education in sub-Saharan Africa to produce engineering graduates who are qualified technically and otherwise.