Challenges and Marketing Strategies for Young African Universities

Abstract

The article shows the challenges young Universities meet, particularly African Universities and also how they change their tactics to win these battles and to survive and flourish in the changing world. The Challenges shown in this article which many Universities have faced over the past four decades have resulted in important transformations in the scope of their mission, governance and relations with wider national, regional and global economics and societies. This article spells out these challenges, threats and strategies to continuously improve their programs, teaching, and provision of learning facilities and to find the right way to the Black Box of the consumer (students and other stakeholders). The article puts more emphases on marketing strategies of African Universities in their journey to excel generation and dissemination of relevant knowledge and skills development for lifelong learning and community service. The article shows how the education industry is facing lots of challenges and how marketing is the way that helps to reduce the costs of Education, increases the number of high achieving students and help Universities to boost their position in the Market, helps to elevate the brand and reputation. Lastly the article talks about the growth, the impact and importance of University rankings which is a key contemporary issue in strategic management of higher education. Rankings are highly based on research outcomes though there are more institutions worldwide which are not considered in these ranking criteria because they are more teaching oriented and concentrate on Arts and Social Sciences. Rankings are used either as performance Indicators or as tools for choosing places of study. These rankings should take into consideration of the establishment period of Universities. The article advises young Universities how to think globally to find the right way to global competition.