A centre of excellence (CoE) in an academic institution often refers to a team set up with a focus on a particular area of research. However, the fourth industrial revolution has widened the scope of CoEs from the issue specific to all-encompassing. This has caused the need for academic transition from inter-disciplinary or multidisciplinary to transdisciplinary CoEs.
Besides, the technology-driven changes are drastic and multi-dimensional which have set up a wave of transition across the industries, sectors, institutions, classes, communities, and societies. In this drastically changing scenario, it is an uphill task to train the younger generation for future jobs.
This Live Discourse is aimed at presenting in-depth analyses of CoEs operating in African universities/ institutions from the perspective of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This is a completely interactive platform where you can also express your views in the form of blogs and opinions.
By the 3rd industrial revolution, the centres of excellence (CoE) in academic institutions and universities were much sought after places for high standard research inputs and consultancies. However, in this age of drastically changing technological revolutions of the 4th industrial revolution, several CoE in Africa are queued up for research inputs for their revival.
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In this age of the fourth industrial revolution, democracy and governance in Africa need to be redefined in the light of the latest technological innovations. The internet-based technological innovations have a huge scope in bridging the gap between the governments and their people that too on the cost of private entrepreneurship.
Also Read: Technological innovations as new change-makers of democracy & governance in Africa
Researches lying in the shelves of libraries are liabilities on resources. There should be a focus on translating innovative researches into actionable plans and implementing them for the greater public interest. This will benefit every stakeholder from researcher to entrepreneurship to the end consumer besides developing and maintaining a robust innovation ecosystem in the region.
Also Read: Commercialize innovations for a robust innovation ecosystem in Africa
An incubation centre is not just space but it constitutes all those required to assist for the launch of a business and make it sustainable in the market. Initially a domain of academic institutions, Start-Up incubation is fast taking shape of specialized entrepreneurship in Africa and also throughout the world.
Also Read: Challenges of emerging market of incubation centres in Africa
Africa is divided into 54 sovereign nations. Besides, about a dozen territories are in various stages of autonomy. However, the pan-regional networking of research and higher educational institutions are playing a crucial role in bringing different countries on one platform and fostering a culture of federalism among the youths across national boundaries.
he social scientists throughout the globe rely on education with an emphasis on basic education to address contemporary social problems and trigger social transformations. However, Africa is silently fostering a new model of socio-economic and political transformation through high-standard training and research. Even as the continent is divided into over 54 nations, the intellectual class is successfully running pan-regional networks of research and higher education that are producing cadres of researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Besides, out of the box ideas are cautiously being added in those pan-regional networks.
Also Read: Lessons from Africa: Fostering federal culture through pan-regional university associations
There is no dearth of issue-specific centers of excellence (CoEs) in West, Central, and East Africa. However, what is lacking is - CoEs which could solve the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution with a transdisciplinary approach. These CoEs have made an edge in producing good employees but now the time has come they start shaping employers in the areas of future jobs.
Also Read: Centers of Excellence in Africa: Time to inculcate entrepreneurship for future jobs
These 96 jobs have been grouped into seven professional clusters by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Out of the seven professional clusters, Care Economy which primarily includes jobs related to 'Good Health and Well Being' adopted as Global Goal 3 (SDG3) is likely to lead the job market till 2030 (SDG 2030). Furthermore, within the healthcare sector, there seems an increased focus on preventive care in the job market in the future job market of the next decade.
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