The African University as a Multinational Corporation: Problems of Penetration and Dependency

In recent years multinational corporations have been criticized for their exploitation of African economies as well as for their influence on African culture. In this article, the author argues that Western influence is expressed through another African institution— the university. For the author the university is an analogue to a multinational corporation: born as an extension of a metropolitan university whose direction and instructions come from a European country, the African university continues to serve other than African interests. The author describes the symbiotic relationship between education and economic development,and then outlines strategies for changing the university so it will foster cultural as well as economic independence in African nations.