Community engagement in African universities: Perspectives, prospects and challenges

Abstract

In 1960, a group of twenty European and North American nations formed the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). By 2015, OECD membership had increased to thirty-four countries, primarily in Europe and North America but with a few members in other regions of the world (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel and Turkey). In 2002, OECD created the PASCAL International Observatory to expand its work on ‘‘learning regions and cities’’ of OECD members. (PASCAL is an acronym for Place And Social Capital And Learning.) However, PASCAL’s efforts have not been limited to OECD member-nations, but have extended to other countries as well, as illustrated in this book, Community Engagement in African Universities. The intent of the book was to demonstrate ways in which universities in African nations have engaged directly in the social, economic and cultural development of the cities and regions in which the universities were located. The contents of Community Engagement in African Universities are the work of four editors and seventeen authors (ten men, seven women). Fifteen of the authors have been faculty members of African higher-education institutions. The other two authors are at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, the location of the PASCAL Observatory’s European headquarters. Following an introductory chapter, the book is divided into two major parts titled ‘‘Learning cities and regions’’ (six chapters) and ‘‘Community engagement and service learning’’ (four chapters). The volume’s final chapter summarises common themes throughout the book and identifies challenges and prospects for the years ahead.