The government of Nigeria recently initiated higher education policy reforms intended to bring its university system more in line with international good practices. The reforms promote increased institutional autonomy, greater system differentiation, strengthened governance, and mechanisms for quality assurance. They seek to create a more flexible and responsive system of university teaching and research that, over time, will contribute increasingly to national innovation capacities, productivity gains, and economic growth. This paper reports on the current status of higher education in Nigeria and reviews the country's new policy initiatives in this context. The discussion gives particular attention to issues of access, teaching/learning, finance, and governance/management.

This is a preliminary survey of the laws and statutes that determine governance arrangements for higher education systems as well as individual institutions in 24 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. Following an overview of recent higher education governance trends within Africa, it describes the current range of practice and most common approaches set forth in foundation legal documents for national higher education with regard to autonomy, accountability, government control and stakeholder representation. Particular attention is given to the membership of governing boards, how board members are appointed, the selection of chairpersons, the nomination of chief officers in the universities, and the degree of institutional autonomy implied in the definition of these processes. Various mechanisms for insuring institutional accountability are also identified, including strategic plans, governing board composition, annual reporting requirements, financial and quality audits, and performance-based funding.

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Ethiopia is embarked on a higher education expansion and reform programme of impressive dimensions. Expansion will create new universities, establish three sys- tem support agencies, mount new courses, and triple enrolments. Reforms intro- duce increased institutional autonomy, curriculum revisions, new funding arrange- ments and student contributions by means of a graduate tax. This article analyses current higher education reform efforts in Ethiopia. It begins by sketching the so- cial context in which higher education is situated and describing the country’s higher education system. An assessment of tertiary education financing follows. Management capacities and efficiency in the use of these resources are then dis- cussed, noting the particular challenges posed by HIV/AIDS. Educational quality and relevance are subsequently addressed. Analysis points out potential weaknesses in the reform programme but concludes that enrolment expansion targets are likely to be met. However, the dynamics of expansion may well generate difficulties in maintaining educational quality.