The internationalisation agenda: a critical examination of internationalisation strategies in public universities in Ghana

Recently, various strategies have been adopted and adapted by universities in Ghana to re/position themselves in the international arena. Utilising postcolonial and neoliberal theories, this paper critically examines the internationalisation strategies of three public universities in Ghana. Although all the universities have adopted strategies to position themselves internationally, the rates at which these strategies have been introduced differ from one university to the other. Various factors including location, size, age and infrastructural strength influence the rate of involvement. It is argued that the strategies adopted by the universities appear to be embedded in postcolonialism and economic rationales based mainly on neoliberal economic thinking, which sees higher education as a quasi market place where knowledge is bought and sold. The paper argues that universities need to adopt strategies that are proactive and that promote alternative notions of internationalisation in ways that challenge the status quo.