Alarm bells ring over academic sovereignty in African universities

The discussion was part of the four-day conference organised by UDSM’s College of Social Sciences in collaboration with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (Codesria).

The debate, held under the theme: “Academic Freedom and the Politics of Funding Research and Universities,” laid bare a growing crisis: the increasing grip of multi-polar donors on African research priorities—and what that means for knowledge sovereignty.

At the heart of their argument: While donor funding has opened doors, it has also subtly—and sometimes overtly—redefined the purpose and direction of university research in Africa.

“What we are witnessing is the outsourcing of our intellectual agenda,” renowned Tanzanian academic and former director of the UDSM-based Nyerere Resource Centre, Prof Issa Shivji. “The donor’s dollar often carries a script, and it is our scholars who are made to perform it.”

African universities today operate within a complex web of funding streams. Traditional partners like the European Union, USAID, and the World Bank still play a dominant role.

However, newer actors—China, Turkey, Gulf states—have entered the field, each with distinct geopolitical or economic motives. As they fund everything from agriculture research to digital innovation labs, the underlying concern is clear: Who decides what knowledge matters?

According to Romaine Doline, whose paper at the conference was titled "Funding Dilemmas and the Commodification of Knowledge," this multipolar funding model is “reshaping universities into sites of transactional knowledge exchange.”

“Our institutions are pushed to produce market-ready research that speaks to donor interests—not necessarily the community’s needs,” Doline argued. 

Dr Ishengoma added to the concern in his presentation “Donor-Funded North-South Partnerships and Links in African Public Universities: A Boon or Bane for Academic Freedom?” by highlighting how some partnerships risk becoming extractive rather than collaborative.

“In many cases, African scholars serve as data collectors while the actual interpretation and publication take place in the North,” he warned. “It undermines both academic freedom and ownership.”

Prof Chris Maina of UDSM’s School of Law reinforced that point, calling for a redefinition of how universities measure research value.

“Impact shouldn’t just be about how many times your paper is cited in an international journal,” he said. “It should also be about whether a local community benefited, whether a national policy changed, or if an indigenous system was preserved.”

A significant part of the discussion also zeroed in on the rise of ‘publish-or-perish’ academic cultures that favour output over relevance.

As scholars chase globally ranked journals for professional survival, the link between universities and national development grows weaker. 

Despite the grim diagnosis, the panel did not stop at lamentation. Several pathways were offered for reclaiming Africa’s research autonomy.

First, regional collaboration emerged as a critical strategy. By pooling resources and research mandates through regional bodies like the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), universities could strengthen their bargaining power with donors.

Second, speakers called for co-funding mechanisms between African governments and external partners. This would ensure that while international funding supports research infrastructure, the agenda-setting remains anchored locally. Third, there was a strong push for the integration of indigenous knowledge systems within academia. “Why should herbal knowledge that has sustained communities for centuries be inferior to imported biomedical frameworks?” Prof McKenna challenged. “We must validate, preserve, and research on what is ours, on our terms.”

Finally, accountability was directed at African governments, many of which have failed to invest meaningfully in research. Without clear national science and innovation policies, universities remain vulnerable to donor capture.

As Prof McKenna summed it up succinctly: “Neoliberal logic has turned universities into consultancies and scholars into service providers. We must ask—what is the purpose of the university in Africa today?”

The answer, it seems, lies in restoring agency—ensuring that African universities are not just recipients of research funding but architects of their intellectual futures.