Growth and expansion of private higher education in Africa

The private sector is a fast growing segment of higher education in many African countries. Both policy support and increasing social demand for higher education have created a supportive environment for the growth and expansion of private higher education institutions in Africa. This expansion primarily takes the form of self-financing or for-profit institutions, while some are funded by religious agencies. This publication is based on IIEP research and a policy forum held in 2004 in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). It analyzes the policy changes that have taken place in a number of African countries in favour of the private sector, both as a reaction to and as a stimulus for the new trends. It examines the patterns in the growth and expansion of private higher education institutions, and their management and sources of financing. As in other parts of the world, it appears that the private higher education institutions that sprang up in the 1990s in Africa are often small in size, offer courses in limited subject areas and concentrate on market-friendly themes.