The Place of Private Higher Education in Regional Institutions in Africa: The Case of the OAU/AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

Continental and sub-regional organizations such as the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) play considerable, albeit symbolic, roles in promoting social development including access to education in their respective mandate areas. Most of these roles are facilitative or catalytic, often termed as advocacy, harmonization, coordination and monitoring and evaluation. These institutions provide platforms for policy dialogues, strategic deliberations and joint decision-making on common priority areas. They also facilitate the elaboration and adoption of regional common positions to serve as Africa's advocacy tools at global agenda-setting for a such as the Programs of Action of the 1994 UN International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the 2000 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the 2000 Dakar Commitment of Education for All (EFA). To what extent does higher education in general and private higher education in particular feature in the policies, strategies, and programs of the AU and IGAD? Using descriptive, historical and comparative methods, this paper assesses the place of private higher education in the portfolios of these two supra-national organizations. The major objectives of such a preliminary assessment is to appreciate efforts being made, identify gaps, if any, and suggest ways of strengthening or redirecting future interventions given the fact that the private sector education absorbs up to 25% of college intakes in Africa, provides access to those that have been left out by the public sector due to capacity limitations, and produces as well as employs a sizable proportion of the educated workforces in the continent. The concluding section of this paper outlines future areas of research and forwards some key recommendations on the need for informed policies and decisions on the promotion of private higher education in Africa with emphasis on quality, relevance, affordability and equitable access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]