Disruptive technology and knowledge development: African universities, human capital and educating for global citizenship

Abstract

Higher educational institutions are indispensable in developing the human capital needed for national development. African universities, like their counterparts worldwide, have been thrust into the unprecedented changes made possible by globalization. Thus, higher educational institutions in Africa are undergoing transformations to better enhance their role in the national and continental development agenda. A key component in university-society relations is knowledge production and its utilization in the development process. The focus on knowledge production and utilization assumes some significance in view of the implications of globalization of higher education for the nature and organization of teaching, research and community engagement in many African universities. This chapter will survey the higher educational landscape in Africa, identify and analyze the extent to which the disruptive possibilities, specifically the transformational possibilities of open innovation, online learning and curriculum reforms, influence education and how these forces can elevate human capital development and global citizenship.