By clicking on the image above, listen to our special program dedicated to the academic world and students in French-speaking Africa.
While higher education numbers are exploding in Africa, public universities are struggling to keep up. Between dilapidated rooms, lack of teaching materials and lack of qualified teachers, students and teachers describe study conditions that are often very difficult.
Saturated campuses and insufficient equipment
Across the continent, testimonies agree.
In Abomey-Calavi, Ulrich regrets the absence of wifi, library or canteen. In Parakou, a professor recalls that even accessing mimeographs remains a challenge.
In Togo, Rose-Marie describes “very dilapidated” lecture halls, uncomfortable iron benches and a glaring lack of seats.
In Kinshasa, Christopher points out that certain buildings still date from Belgian colonization.
This underinvestment is not surprising: the annual tertiary financing gap exceeds 65 billion euros in Africa, and only a quarter of countries reach the thresholds recommended by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Universities poorly prepared to produce research
According to Angelo Kpotounou, one of the big challenges also comes from the lack of functional research units.
While innovation is a stated objective, “universities do not have UFRs capable of producing knowledge”.
Result: only 17 African universities appeared in the Shanghai 2025 ranking.
Faced with this, several continental forums and public-private partnerships are seeking to modernize infrastructure and strengthen research.
Teacher shortage and talent drain
Universities also face a chronic shortage of teachers. Where Unesco recommends a ratio of 1 teacher for 25 to 45 students, some institutions go up to 1 for 116.
Competition between states accentuates the drain of talent: Guinea, for example, attracts many teachers thanks to a more advantageous salary policy. Harmonization between countries is therefore urgent, according to Angelo Kpotounou. A representative of a higher education teachers’ union in the DRC also discusses in this program the difficulties encountered by teachers and their students.
Financial stress, dropouts and precarious living conditions
Behind these structural difficulties lie often harsh human realities.
Many African students must work to provide for themselves and support their families.
In Ouagadougou, a Burkinabe student says he had to abandon his law degree after the Mansila blockade, which deprived him of any financial support from his loved ones. In Dakar or elsewhere, scholarships frequently arrive late, causing strikes and job insecurity.
According to a study carried out in 2026 at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, one in five medical students suffer from burnout.
Digital: a still limited solution
The pandemic has accelerated online teaching, but the obstacles remain numerous:
unstable connection, cost of appliances, unequal access to electricity.
In this program you will hear an interview with Abdou Khadre Diop, director of studies and education at the Virtual University of Senegal.
