The Diffusion of Higher Education Reforms from the Global North. The Case of Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Globalization has caused various reforms in higher education. The reforms that originated from the Global North have been diffused into the rest of the world – the Global South – in different ways. Sub-Saharan African higher education has also undergone reforms. Historically, colonialism and the ‘external dimension’ of the Bologna Process have played an important role in the reforms of higher education in Africa. This chapter addresses the reform processes in Africa in respect to the interplay between internal and external influences. The main argument is that the colonially incepted higher education institutions in sub-Sahara African have been adopting higher education reforms that have worsened the underdevelopment of higher education in Africa.