Despite contradictory evidence from university rankings such as QS and The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the impact of external research funding on African higher education remains an open question. While external funding provides critical financial resources, it usually has conditionalities that may undermine the autonomy and sustainability of African higher education. This article dissects its benefits and risks, with case studies from Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, and proposes balanced funding strategies.

An analysis of the top 100 universities in Africa indicates that approximately 40 to 60 percent of their funding is sourced from outside the continent. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is one among many significant external funders of public health and agricultural research in Uganda and various other African nations. The Wellcome Trust provides grants for biomedical and public health projects, while the European Union’s Horizon 2020 funds cross-disciplinary research involving African and European universities. Funding from grants and partnerships is frequently contingent upon specific deliverables and outcomes. Examples include collaborative research that requires coauthorship of publications with the expectation that researchers from the Global North will take on lead or coauthorship roles, alignment of research priorities with the strategic interests of Northern funders, publishing in high-impact journals that Southern researchers usually have difficulties accessing, and requirements of shared intellectual property. Capacity-building programs, exemplified by those funded by Erasmus+, similarly prioritize the training and reintegration of scholars into their home institutions. This trend of external funding highlights the significance of international collaboration but at the same time raises concerns about the autonomy and long-term sustainability of research agendas at African universities. What are the implications for higher education research in Africa? Can it be asserted that external funding to Africa consistently aligns with positive intentions and focuses on the continent’s interests? Is external funding genuinely aligned with Africa’s development and priorities? Does it enhance the autonomy of universities or reinforce a cycle of reliance? This article explores financial data from Stellenbosch University, the University of Johannesburg, the University of Nairobi, and Makerere University to explain the dynamics of external funding and its implications for higher education in Africa.

Kenya and Uganda

The University of Nairobi is known for its heavy reliance on international partnerships in terms of research funding. Key contributors include organizations like the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), led by the University of Nairobi’s chancellor Patrick Verkooijen. Professor Verkooijen is one of the architects of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, which has already brought over USD 6 billion of resilient investments in Africa. While his expertise in climate adaptation is invaluable and his position as chancellor may seem strategic, his Dutch origin and international connections send a contradictory message to the African public. With this kind of external influence evident at the University of Nairobi, one may ask: At what cost do the Rockefeller Foundation, Mitsubishi Corporation, and the Chinese embassy in Kenya offer scholarships to both undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Nairobi?

Makerere University, on its part, continually strives to increase its investment in research, recognizing the critical role research plays in addressing the development needs of Uganda. Information on its website reveals that Makerere University received special funding worth 30 billion Ugandan shillings (approximately USD 8,100,000) under the Research and Innovations Fund (RIF) in the financial year 2019–2020. This initiative was the result of strategic discussions between Makerere University management and the government of Uganda, aimed at supporting high-impact research and innovations. However, the question remains whether this truly makes a difference, given that the government of Uganda itself relies heavily on foreign aid for survival. Moreover, Makerere University dedicates only 1 percent of its internal faculty-generated income to research, relying on partnerships with international development organizations such as NORAD (Norway) and Sida/SAREC (Sweden), long-lasting partners in education and research capacity building, or the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a key supporter of academic excellence and innovation in Africa. Only one of the six projects listed on the university’s website receives funding from sources within Africa. The rest are funded externally: for example, MaRCCI (Regional Centre of Excellence for Crop Improvement) is supported by a grant from the World Bank (2017–2022) and Kiira-EV. This cooperation dates back to the 2008 Vehicle Design Summit that brought together teams from 35 preeminent research universities that built a five-seater plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, The Vision 200, led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Therefore, Makerere University is a typical example of an African university that relies heavily on external funding sources and partnerships that enhance their research capabilities but put their independence at risk.

The Situation in South Africa

In its 2023 financial report, Stellenbosch University revealed that third-stream income—predominantly sourced from external funding—contributed 1.3 billion South African rands (just under USD 70 million) to its annual research budget, accounting for 32.2 percent of the university’s total recurring income. To compare: first-stream income (government subsidies) made up only 29.6 percent, while second-stream income (student fees) accounted for 22.1 percent. External funding was instrumental in financing major research infrastructure projects, such as the Biomedical Research Institute on its Tygerberg campus, valued at 1.2 billion South African rands. However, such reliance highlights the challenges of sustainability when external grants are project-specific and time-bound.

Similarly, the University of Johannesburg reported a significant influx of external research funding in 2023: The university surpassed its annual target by securing 934.2 million South African rands in research income, primarily from international sources such as the Wellcome Trust and global academic networks associated to BRICS​. External funding, therefore, constituted 32.2 percent of the University of Johannesburg’s income, underlining the central role of international donors in supporting cutting-edge research such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The 2024 Highlights of the Division of Global Engagement of the University of Johannesburg reveal that the university’s academic services department has successfully completed fifteen agreements, including collaboration agreements with the University of Hohenheim (Germany), the University of Nova Gorica (Slovenia), the University of Helsinki (Finland), the Federal University of Bahia (Brazil), Constructor University (Germany), Malmö University (Sweden), Carleton University (Canada), University of California San Francisco (United States), the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and the University of Cologne (Germany). However, one should bear in mind that, as history has consistently demonstrated, African universities incur significant costs when negotiating from a position of weakness.

Benefits and Challenges Posed by External Funding

External funding is essential for the advancement of research and innovation at African universities. Institutions such as Stellenbosch University and the University of Johannesburg rely on external funding to develop state-of-the-art facilities, including the Biomedical Research Institute and advanced 4IR research laboratories. Scholarships and grants have facilitated the pursuit of postgraduate studies and impactful research for thousands of African students. Collaborations with international institutions facilitate access to advanced technology, global expertise, and innovative methodologies, thereby increasing the international visibility of African research. Numerous grants focus on urgent global challenges, such as climate change, public health crises, and food security, empowering African institutions to significantly contribute to addressing these problems.

However, although external funding provides essential resources, it also presents considerable risks that could jeopardize the autonomy and sustainability of higher education in Africa. External funders frequently emphasize research topics that align first of all with their own interests, rather than those that are essential for Africa. The GCA’s climate-related funding at the University of Nairobi, for instance, may detract from addressing other pressing local issues, including urban poverty and governance. External funding agreements also frequently prioritize funders regarding intellectual property rights and decision-making authority and often restrict commercializing research outputs or influencing public policy. Another aspect is the fact that grants are generally specific to particular projects and have defined timeframes, which exposes African universities to vulnerabilities upon the conclusion of funding cycles. The report from the University of Johannesburg highlights operational difficulties associated with maintaining research facilities in the absence of stable funding. Stellenbosch University’s dependence on third-stream income, which constitutes 32.2 percent of its revenue, underscores the fragility of its research ecosystem. Thus, reliance on external funding renders African universities vulnerable to fluctuations in global economic conditions and funders’ evolving priorities.  

Toward a Balanced Funding Model

African universities should focus on developing strong internal funding mechanisms and enhancing regional collaboration to diminish reliance on external funding, while governments should allocate a greater percentage of GDP to education and research. Universities should also establish collaborations with local enterprises to broaden their funding avenues. Establishing endowment funds and using alumni support can ensure financial stability over the long term. Institutions such as Stellenbosch University and the University of Johannesburg have started exploring these avenues; however, substantial scaling is required.

Ngenge Ransom Tanyu is editor-in-chief of the e_AOPL Journal of Social Sciences, as well as founder and executive director of Africa Online & Publications Library (AOPL). E-mail: [email protected].