Who really invests in African universities?

← Back to Merisphere Weekly Current Affairs Higher education · Mobility and research Who really invests in African universities? Josué Yède 8 November 2026 Campuses inaugurated, laboratories underfunded Campus and technology-hub inaugurations generate prominent announcements. Funding for teachers, maintenance, libraries and laboratories features less often in these communications. Yet operating expenditure determines institutions' ability to sustain teaching and research. University budgets bring together several spending categories. The state may construct a building, families may contribute to operations, a bank may finance equipment, and a foundation may shape a research programme. Each funder's influence also depends on its powers over recruitment, data, laboratories and research topics. Public budgets sustain national universities Public universities draw on national and local budgets, institutional resources, and student contributions. States pay teachers, fund scholarships and maintain infrastructure. The distribution of costs varies by country: the state may remain dominant while elsewhere tuition fees, private education or contract funding gain ground. Public spending must Translation of Qui investit réellement dans les universités africaines ?.