Paper long abstract:

The creation of universities in Africa started prior to and/or within the decade after political independence. Since then, the number of institutions has expanded rapidly and continuously but in innadequation to the high rates of demographic growth and the needs of knowledge society. The economic crisis faced by most countries in the 1990s after the introduction of structural adjustment measures requested by the IMF among them, the reduction of the budget of public administration and services, exacerbate the existing challenges faced by many universities such as overcrowding, infrastructure deficiencies, lack of human resources with the immigration of highly qualified staff and aging faculty, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only exposed these challenges but at the same time provided opportunities to overcome them and leapfrog the development paths of classical universities using ICT through digital technologies in line with the requirements of the 21 th century knowledge societies. Virtual Education with respect to Educational technologies among others make it possible for African universities to deliver content in any location at any time and implement practical labs using simulation and virtual experiment; remote laboratories leading to cost saving in terms of infrastructure; as well as connect to experts independent of their geographical location to address the challenges of lack of qualified staff. The development of information and communication technologies has also considerably influenced the way how science, especially research, is performed nowadays in African Universities and in global and transnational context. Scientists more than ever are working together across spatial and technical limitations (i.e. in virtual organizations, in different location or on the basis of globally distributed resources). Concepts such as “Science 2.0”, “Virtual Research Environment (VRE)” are providing appropriate environment for researchers to access scientific content, work collaboratively independent of their location, support processes and interactions of the “research life cycle” from the collection, processing of data and discussion right through to the publication of results have emerged. Thus, it provides African Universities and scientists new possibilities to address challenges related to research infrastructure, strengthen research capacity in countries and support North–South knowledge and technology transfer. The high rate of unemployment, coupled with the development of Information and communication technologies in Africa (mobile communication, networked digital device), decreased costs of microcontrollers, and the evolution of internet from the producer to consumer (WEB 1.0) to a participative model (WEB 2.0), has unveiled the creativity and innovative potential of youths leading to the development of many innovations and start-up in different sectors such as mobile banking, EAgriculture, E-Health, etc. This development supported by private sectors and international actors such as (Nokia, Microsoft, World Bank/IFC, etc.) has led to the multiplication of Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech-Hubs) as informal spaces for innovation and Entrepreneurship across the continent. Universities in the continent acknowledge and recognize the dynamics and contribution of these actors in the global innovation landscape in the continent and have started to collaborate or initiate/integrate similar structures with related process in their premises. The COVID-19 pandemic with its challenges such as confinement and social distancing measures has laid the pathway for the acceptance and penetration of digital technologies in many daily processes. Universities having been forced to adopt digital technologies to support teaching, learning, collaboration, and research processes, have realized the potential and benefit of these technologies and will build on positive experiences. With fears and obstacles of adoption of technologies being overcome, frontiers technologies such as virtual and augmented realities, mobile technologies, big data and artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, 3D scanning and printing, etc. will significantly influence the future of education, research and innovation at local, global and trans-national level. Technologies such as virtual and augmented realities will enhance teaching and learning with more realistic and immersive experiences. Big data and artificial intelligence will improve profiling and prediction (drop-out rate and retention, student model and academic achievement), intelligent tutoring, assessment and evaluation systems, adaptive and personalized leaning paths and experience, connection of researcher across disciplines, identify new insights in publications, aggregate, curate, and help student and researchers to conduct their analyses in a more efficient and focussed ways. Mobile technologies will increase learning access. IoT technologies will contribute to safe, interconnected, immersive infrastructure and educational facilities, personalized learning solutions with sensors and smart devices able to collect information about students such as attention and concentration level and adapt by supporting learning path. Together with AR and VR educational spaces with multiples learning scenarios that are realistic, responsive and immersive. 3D scanning and printing will enable experiential teaching and learning in many disciplines by developing system thinking, spatial and 3D visualization skills, modelling the real world by recreating objects and space, as well as creating virtual spaces combined with VR and AR that will enable the manipulation of objects in ways beyond what is currently possible in the real world. African Universities will have to embrace these opportunities and address the new challenges related to them in line with the digital divide such as accessibility of the technologies (costs, devices, quality, etc.) and content, in addition to contextualizing the technologies to African social, economic and infrastructural environment. Pioneers and future oriented universities in the continent will take advantages of these technologies to design and setup innovative premises and facilities, propose advanced curriculum integrating all actors and stakeholders, and specificities of informal innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems in the continent (Tech-Hubs, Fab-Labs/Maker space, Mentoring and Business Angels, Pitch, Competition, etc.) with strengths of higher education systems. The dynamic and creative young population, together with the lack of public funding, high unemployment rates and social pressures, as well as the connection and “accessibility” of digital technologies, and the successful experiences and references in mobile sector are among other factors suggesting an optimistic and glorious future for African universities building on the potential of digital technologies to leapfrog the classical development paths at universities and countries level.