There is a huge range and diversity of activity taking place in the UK-Africa partnership landscape, including in the areas of higher and further education. However, there is a distinct lack of systematic data and updated information about these HE/FE partnerships. Similarly, there are many HE/FE institutions that recognise the potential benefits of partnership but do not have adequate experience on which to build.
The Africa Unit, supported by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), formerly the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), and the Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland (DELNI), has been established to add value to the partnership landscape by addressing these issues, by acting as an HE/FE focal point and centralised source of information for English and African institutions at both ends of the partnership building process.
Africa Unit Mission
- Promoting, facilitating and enhancing sustainable higher and further education partnerships between England and Africa as a vehicle for developing skills for employability and strengthening capacity in the African tertiary sector
- Raising awareness and understanding of African tertiary education development challenges within English educational institutions
- Deploying the strength of English higher and further education institutions to address challenges through partnerships with African counterparts
Strategic Goals
- To bring clarity and visibility to the partnership and funding landscapes by identifying gaps and adding value;
- To identify and disseminate good practice in educational partnerships between England and Africa;
- To provide brokerage partnership services between English and African educational institutions with particular focus on FE institutions;
- To respond to demand for information and advisory services from English and African HE and FE institutions.
