A Comparative Study of Credit Earning Information Literacy Skills Courses of Three African Universities

Information literacy skills are enabling skills that help students and individuals to identify, locate, evaluate, organize, effectively create, use and communicate information to address issues and problems. The skills include computer skills, technology skills and library literacy. The study examines credit earning Information literacy programmes of three African Universities, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Lagos State University, Lagos (both in Nigeria) and the University of Botswana (Botswana). The study revealed that the information literacy skills programmes of the three universities are deficient in one aspect or the other. While the two Nigerian universities: Federal University of Technology, Akure and Lagos State University, Lagos on the one hand are deficient in computer and technology literacy, University of Botswana on the other hand prioritized computer and information technology literacy but is deficient in library literacy. The study recommends that the, Federal university of Technology ,Akure and Lagos State University should review their curricula to include computer and information technology skills while University of Botswana should reflect library literacy skills in its curriculum. This will empower and equip students with the necessary skills for independent and life long learning