AAHEFA has five programme areas and five strategies that contribute towards supporting deeper and wider engagement in higher education financing in Africa, to increase accessibility to higher education for African young men and women who form the centre stage of Africa human capital, we are committed to regional dialogue on higher education financing and various models that ensures higher education financing sustainability in Africa. Our five programme areas are:
Programme 1: Enhancing Better Higher Education Funding Policies and Practices in Africa.
This programme area is aimed at strengthening participation of various stakeholders in higher education financing in policy dialogue by improving knowledge base through evidence-based research information. It also creates and expands knowledge and learning in developing better higher education financing policies across Africa and influencing better policy formulation aimed at improving quality of higher education. With better policy in higher education financing the result would trickle to increased access to higher education. Ensuring the quality of tertiary education in Africa requires a funding policy that not only can ensure its sustainability but also can provide the incentives to increase efficiency and promote a more equitable access and orient the institutions toward the needs of the economy.
Programme 2: Capacity Building for sustainable higher education financing in Africa.
Sustainable growth in Africa is contingent on the capacity of States to diversify their economies, and to thus train human capital that will help carry out and support this transformation. Building institutional capacity of member institutions and structural support is key to AAHEFA agenda. This programme area aims at knowledge, technology, innovation and skills improvement in running higher education financing agencies in Africa. This supports the development of new innovative ways of sourcing for resources to cutter for the gap that is not been met by the government dwindling resources. Furthermore this program entails the exchange of information and knowledge sharing among member countries for betterment of higher education financing across Africa. Effectiveness of the higher education financing institutions depends largely on how better they are well equipped to improve the way higher education financing agencies handle their operation and future changing environment of African Higher education. And finally, this program aims at lobbying governments to increase fund allocation for higher education.
Programme 3: Developing best practices, systems and tools for higher education financing in Africa.
Advocate for development and implementation of legal frameworks that support formation of higher education financing agencies across Africa. This programme area lays the foundation and creates platforms to enable various higher education financing bodies transit into independent agencies of higher education financing. AAAHEFA develop best practices, systems and tools in collaboration with its members to improve accessibility, effectiveness and efficiency in higher education financing in Africa.
Programme 4: Publication, Consultancy, Research and networking for improvement of higher education financing in Africa
This program focus is on some of the complex links between higher education financing and economic development in Africa, with explicit aims to also provide information and establish networks for both researchers and policy-makers in Africa. AAHEFA envision conducting various researches, focusing on how changes in political, economic, and social relations both on a national and international level influence higher education financing. Research in this field contributes with important information about the processes in higher education financing from different perspectives. It involves studies on micro-, meso-, and macro levels of analyses. Some of the core themes include studies on Africa Higher Education Financing Landscape changes and challenges, changes in the relationship between higher education and the state, the university as an institution and financing agencies as the catalyst, close studies of interregional loan recovery practices and studies of how new technology can be applied in relation to higher education financing.
Programme 5: Monitoring and evaluation of Higher Education Financing Indicators
This programme area includes monitoring and evaluating of African countries higher education financing indicators and continually assessing progress. In particular M&E shall explores trends in financing policies paying particular attention to the nature and extent of public sector funding of higher education, the growth of private financing (including both household financing and the growth of private higher education institutions) and the changing mix of financing instruments that these countries are developing in response to public sector financial constraints. The program envision to document good practices, possible lessons and substantial challenges that need to be addressed in higher education financing across Africa. Above all the program envisions monitoring the percentage ratio growth of higher education financing on respective countries GDP.
Our strategies are:
- Capability building – This involves strategic leadership development, building new linkages and alliances, developing new knowledge and improving the environment within which higher education financing bodies operates. It involves building individuals and institutions that are able to anticipate and manage change and implement the changes with realistic approach.
- Evidence-based advocacy – This involves generating research that is owned by and usable to civil society and non-state actors, policy makers and private sector students, financial sector to make informed decisions in higher education financing.
- Policy dialogues – This involves creating space and platforms for convening within the education sector and between interregional and international organizations and other role-players including the private sector as well as the public sector.
- Creating an enabling environment – This involves providing support to enable meaningful and effective engagement between civil society organizations, governments and policy makers, among others.
- Resource Mobilization for Common Goal – This involves providing financial resources and the related institutional and programme technical support to various higher education financing bodies in Africa for a common goal.