Emerging Trends and Setbacks in e-Learning Networks in Africa

An examination of the strategies adopted by African institutions and governments to tap from the global e-learning networks is carried out. The strategies seem to involve mainly local higher educational institutions and the public sector organisations, and less of the private sector. There is little evidence of partnership between producers of educational objects with providers of educational services, as well as with educational institutions; but we can identify consortia among African institutions, twinning by United Nations agencies and franchising by developed countries ’ institutions. We discuss the factors accounting for this pattern of networking in the continent, and suggest that they relate mainly to the pattern of deployment of ICT at higher institutional levels, regulatory challenges of the telecommunications and IT policies, human resource requirement constraints, and the question of quality assurance, among others. We finally identify some initiatives of the international, regional and national bodies, which suggest that e-learning networks might overcome these obstacles to contribute to development of education in Africa