Curriculum reform in African higher education: solving society’s problems and meeting its needs

Higher education is often regarded as a crucial driver of development in Africa. Notably, the curricula in African higher education institutions are central to the discourse of development and the production of graduates who are sufficiently critical to challenge the historical, political, economic and social status quo in Africa. Curriculum experts in Africa have called for revisiting the purpose and the content of higher education curricula in Africa, and embracing an indigenous knowledge system that not only brings about development in nations themselves or the continent as a whole, but which also enhances human capacity. This paper argues that it is important for higher education institutions to embrace a curriculum that is synchronised to the particularities of African societies. One way to achieve this is by reforming the curriculum to reflect the realities and needs of the African continent, rather than providing a mere replica of the Western model. This paper also argues that curriculum reform is inevitable if the university is to fulfil this important role. This paper aims to answer the pertinent question; In what ways are Africa’s higher education curricula solving societal problems and meeting societal needs? This paper is guided by the theory of critical pedagogy developed by Paulo Freire and is developed through a review of the literature. The findings show that curriculum reform that promotes indigenous knowledge systems in Africa is imperative for meeting some of the needs of the African continent.


Introduction
The development of any nation or society hinges largely on the education of its people.Education serves as the bedrock for nation building-be it education that takes place in formal or non-formal settings.In the case of Africa, however, the educational systems have been criticised as having little or no impact on national or continental advancement (Msila & Gumbo 2016).If this is the case, Afful-Broni et al. (2020) argue that some important questions need to be asked: What type of education are we referring to?How do stakeholders in education delivery ensure that citizens have access to an education that is relevant to the needs of a nation and its people?In addition, I ask: What should be the content of the curriculum in African educational institutions?Based on these questions this paper argues that it is not enough for education to be available and accessible to Africans; it is equally important for education to be relevant to the specific needs of Africa, and to be geared to the human empowerment that is required for the advancement of the continent.One way to achieve this is to reflect on solutions to Africa's challenges using our own indigenous standards and models of reasoning.This does not in any way suggest that other external bodies of knowledge are irrelevant, but it is important to assert African indigenous knowledge in all aspects of our educational systems, especially the curriculum.
Asserting indigenous knowledge should begin by reforming the curriculum in schools and higher education institutions (HEIs); however, the focus of this paper is on higher education, where the curriculum serves as an important tool for promoting African histories, cultures and experiences.Unfortunately, Africa is saddled with the enduring legacy of colonial education, and its educational curricula, programmes and policies are largely influenced by global market forces and educational policies that are not entrenched in indigenous systems and structures (Msila & Gumbo 2016).The curricula in many African HEIs are problematic-mainly because they do not capture knowledge systems that are contextualised to issues in the African environment (Katundu, 2020).In Africa, we have a responsibility to look inwards and focus on the rich intellectual competence of the African heritage, rather than using the Eurocentric and Western forms of knowledge as a standard for intellectual prowess.I argue that promoting indigenous knowledge in our curriculum should not be an add-on or alternative knowledge, but it should rather be centred.Further, new educational approaches that constitute a lifesustaining force for African nations and communities are vital.Accordingly, curriculum reform is not mere theoretical discourse or political talk; it is a call for meaningful action and enduring practices.
Although there are several publications on the subject of curriculum reform and the Africanisation of the curriculum (Chikoko, 2016;Kamwendo, 2016;Le Grange, 2014;Nkoane, 2014;Shava, 2016), little has been written on curriculum reform in relation to meeting societal needs, especially in the context of Africa.These societal needs include, but are not limited to, employment, wealth creation, access to education and improved living standards, as well as building human capacity.For example, the average rate of unemployment in Africa stands at roughly 8% (Statista, 2023) compared to an average of 6% in Europe (Europa, 2023) and 3.1% in the USA (Statista, 2023).Also, it is estimated that 244 million children between the ages of six and 18 are out of school in sub-Saharan Africa (UNESCO, 2022).Consequently, it is expedient that we interrogate conventional modes of knowledge production in Africa, considering that external Eurocentric and Western ideals substantially inform our educational standards.It is against this backdrop that this paper will answer the question: In what ways are Africa's higher education curricula solving societal problems and meeting societal needs?
The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the current state of higher education curricula in Africa and to rethink ways in which the curricula can be reformed to accommodate the peculiarities of African societies, with a view to solving societal problems and meeting societal needs.The purpose of this paper is not to promote any form of division between African indigenous knowledge and Western knowledge, as both are dynamic and both influence the other; rather, it is imperative to challenge the domination of colonial ideologies over the promotion of indigenous knowledge in African HEIs.Issues of poverty, low gross domestic product (GDP), cultural relevance, terrorism, quality education, high unemployment rate and poor living conditions are some of the challenges confronting the African continent.These challenges are not peculiar to Africa alone, as some are also faced by countries in Asia and even the global North.Considering the public good of the university to society, it would be a disservice to exclude or pay inadequate attention to these issues in the university curriculum.While several studies exist on curriculum change or reform, the decolonisation of the curriculum and the Africanisation of the curriculum (Heleta, 2016;Le Grange, 2014, 2018, 2020;Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2017;Woldegiorgis et al., 2020), this paper will take a step further to examine curriculum reform in relation to the needs of African societies.
The subsequent sections in this paper synthesise literature to bring the argument in the paper to the fore.The next section discusses the critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire, as a theoretical lens through which to further understand the notion of curriculum reform.This is followed by a discussion of curriculum and curriculum reform to provide an understanding of these terms.An analysis of the Africanisation and indigenisation of the curriculum is done next, which then informs the section on rethinking the curriculum as well as the section that argues whether the curriculum should favour local imperatives or global relevance.The paper concludes with my thoughts on curriculum reform in Africa.

Critical pedagogy
The discourse in this paper is guided by the theory of critical pedagogy, which was first developed by Paulo Freire in 1968 in his book titled The pedagogy of the oppressed.The theory was well received by academics and scholars such as Kincheloe (2007), and Duncan-Andrade and Morrell (2008), with the theory of critical pedagogy being updated since Freire's first text (Freire, 1996(Freire, , 2005(Freire, , 2013)).Critical pedagogy calls for people who are living under oppressive conditions to develop new foundations for learning (Stevens, 2002).Basically, critical pedagogy is a teaching approach directed at helping learners question any form of dominant beliefs and practices; it helps learners become critically conscious throughout the process of learning by thinking, reading, writing and speaking, as well as going beyond their comfort zone in knowledge acquisition.To be critically conscious, it is important that students understand the meaning, social context, root causes and consequences of any action, event, experience, process or organisation.The overall aim of critical pedagogy is to liberate learners from oppression, which could manifest in various forms such as through the method of education or the curriculum.The theory of critical pedagogy therefore advocates for diverse methods and goals for empowering learners.In this paper I will focus on the four goals that lie within its scope.
First, critical pedagogy advocates for anti-colonial education by arguing that it is important for a people to have their own system of education and develop their own culture.Ideally, education should not be an extension of the culture of the colonisers neither should an education system or the content of education be imposed on a people.Education is authentic when it is relatable and applicable to a population for the improvement of their lives and for society as a whole; not the kind of 'alien' education that is unfortunately popular in Africa and not relatable to learners.Second, critical pedagogy argues for the promotion of indigenous knowledge in education.According to Kincheloe (2007), when the oppressed learn about their own culture, histories, religion, heritage and the like there is a high tendency for them to experience transformation which can ultimately lead to their liberation and empowerment.There is much to be learnt from such people's indigenous knowledge, for example indigenous medicine and arts and crafts, as well as the cultural, political and religious orientation, and one of the ways to produce this knowledge is to ensure it is well captured by the curriculum so that it can be taught to learners from a young age.Third, critical pedagogy theory posits that education should promote emancipation and intellectual growth (Freire, 2005).It should bring about freedom and corresponding positive changes to an individual and a society.People long for freedom in order to gain the power needed to control their own lives and promote unity and justice within the community to which they belong.Critical pedagogy acts to expose the forces that prevent individuals from making decisions that have a positive effect on their lives and their communities (Kincheloe, 2008).Fourth, critical pedagogy postulates that one of the goals of schooling is to alleviate human suffering and oppression.Education engenders prosperity, but the question remains as to whether all African countries are harnessing the prosperity benefits of education.
Freire's theory of critical pedagogy is considered a suitable theory for this paper because it is strongly aligned to the realities of the African people with regard to educational reform that fosters the emancipation of a people-the African people, as is the case in this paper.In addition, Africa fits into Freire's narrative of the oppressed, with its unforgettable history of colonisation and subtle recolonisation.Africa is indeed rich in talent, brains and resources but for too long we have promoted Western forms of education and knowledge at the expense of our indigenous knowledge which is essential for dealing with our unique problems and needs.If the continent is to experience true development it is important to be committed to sponsoring African experiences and truths.It is also crucial to appreciate and be proud of who we are and what we stand for.

Curriculum and curriculum reform
The curriculum serves as an essential means for putting the idea of higher education into practice and has therefore become one of the most important factors in any higher education system (Annala et al., 2022).Although the term 'curriculum' was first used within the context of higher education, it has not since received as much attention as it has within the school context (Le Grange, 2016).According to William Pinar's etymological root of the term 'curriculum', which he first developed over 45 years ago, the word 'curriculum' emanated from the Latin word currere, which means 'to run the course' (Pinar, 2011, p. xii).Le Grange (2016) views the curriculum as a simple, tightly coupled system which allows for the alignment of what students learn and the intended learning outcomes, as well as the assessment of these.Aoki (1999), on the other hand, maintains that the focus of the curriculum goes beyond what is planned (curriculum-as-planned) to include how it is lived by both teachers and students (curriculum-as-lived).The curriculum is an important aspect of society; it is a pathway to travel and a course of action to be taken by both educators and learners (see Apple, 1991Apple, , 1993)).The curriculum should not take a 'one-size-fits-all' approach; rather, it should be designed in a way that addresses the particularity of a people or nation.This means that an imposed curriculum is not tailored to the needs of a particular people, as Paulo Freire argues in his theory of critical pedagogy.Ahwee et al. (2004) have also differentiated three aspects of the curriculum that they claim have not received adequate attention from universities-the explicit, the hidden and the null curriculum.As the name suggests, the explicit curriculum is what is made known and available to students and includes course content, assessment guidelines, recommended readings, module outcomes and the like.The hidden curriculum refers to the knowledge students gain about the culture of a university and the corresponding values, while the null curriculum is the excluded knowledge content that is never taught or learnt.As much as these three distinctions help to clarify the working of the curriculum, the question remains as to the rationale of a null curriculum.Why would universities leave out some knowledge that should be taught and learnt?It could be argued that subjects that are not taught are equally significant as the ones that are taught, and this is particularly relevant to issues pertaining to curriculum development in the African context.It could further be argued that the null curriculum sends a strong message to students that what is not taught might not be important.That said, it is not always wrong for some subjects to be left untaught, as it is a truism that universities cannot teach all subjects.
In the case of Africa, Nkosi and Van Niekerk (2017) assert that black/African knowledge has been underutilised in the curriculum.Hence, curriculum reform is required to challenge the idea of imperialism or homogeneity.Curriculum reform implies that Africans should demand changes to the curricula such that they are able to develop and implement their own ideas, agendas, plans and strategies as free citizens in their own countries (Katundu, 2020;Makgoba & Seepe, 2004).Freire equally submits that an education that is authentic is that which is relatable and applicable to a people for the improvement of their lives and society.Unfortunately, some countries in Africa still have a long way to go in terms of development, a situation that is traceable to major shortcomings in their education systems.Central to these educational systems is the curriculum.Arguably, the curricula of some HEIs in Africa, such as those in Nigeria, do not reflect the realities of the nations they represent.The following paragraphs draw on empirical examples of curriculum reform or the lack of it in South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania and Mauritius.South Africa's current curriculum structure was adopted during the apartheid era between 1948 and 1994, and still has certain major changes to undergo in relation to the significant social and political development the country has undergone (Council on Higher Education [CHE], 2013[CHE], , 2018)).The South African student protests of 2015 tagged 'fees must fall' paved the way for a renewed drive to reform or decolonise the curriculum, among other prevalent issues in the educational system of the country such as access to equal and quality education (Msila & Gumbo 2016).One could then argue that promoting African knowledge indeed requires urgent changes to the curricular and pedagogic modes of the school system.In South Africa still, there is a major shortfall in graduate outputs in terms of access, equity, overall numbers and the success rates of students (CHE, 2018).For example, only one in four students at contact institutions (institutions where students attend physical classes) graduates within the stipulated time of 3 years for a 3-year degree programme; 35% of the total intake and 48% of contact students graduate within 5 years; white South African students complete their higher education degrees at an average rate of 50% higher than black South African students, and access, success and completion rates continue to be racially skewed (CHE, 2013).These performance patterns do not correspond to the much-needed development the country requires.
Hence, the CHE set up a task team to carry out a thorough investigation to identify a possible intervention (CHE, 2018).Specifically, the team focused on the undergraduate curriculum as a key element of the teaching and learning process.The outcome of this review reveals that modifying the existing curriculum structure is a condition for significant improvement in graduate output and success (CHE, 2018).The review report also makes a strong case for systemic change and for a flexible curriculum structure that captures quality, effectiveness and efficiency, as well as openness to diversity across the South African higher education sector.In a report titled 'A proposal for undergraduate curriculum reform in South Africa: The case for a flexible curriculum structure', the CHE (2013) argues that South Africa's peculiar history calls for a fundamental systemic review of the undergraduate curriculum.According to the CHE (2013), curriculum reform will mean more time, more flexibility, more rigour and more steadfastness.
Nigeria, which gained its independence from British rule 62 years ago, is another case worth examining.Higher education in Nigeria dates back to the colonial era when the first HEI (Yaba College of Technology) was established in 1947.Today, Nigeria has the largest number of HEIs in Africa, with 279 at the time of writing this paper (Statista, 2022).As the most populous African country, with over 200 million people, and as an ethnically diverse nation with 371 ethnic groups, the Nigerian cultural experience is one of the richest in the world.Yet, the content of the curriculum still very much reflects Western ideologies, which are not relatable for most Nigerian students.For example, Nigerian students are taught winter as one of the seasons, even though there is no winter season in Nigeria.
Further, the Nigerian curriculum has been severely criticised for being loaded with too many theoretical and abstract concepts, rather than practical and hands-on trainings.An example is students who study mechanical engineering at university; they mostly learn the theoretical aspects of the course and rarely visit a mechanic's workshop during their study to gain hands-on practical experience.The implication of this is that the majority of university graduates do not acquire the practical skills required in the workplace after graduation.
In Tanzania (similar to other African countries), Katundu (2020) explains that in research, for example, students are taught to rigidly follow guidelines on writing proposals, research reports, dissertations and theses.There is rarely flexibility and innovation in the way research is done and reported, which may be attributed to the colonial bureaucratic models that influence how research is done in most African universities (Ndlovu-Gatsheni, 2017).This homogeneity of academic and research practices can also be attributed to the globalisation processes that are also prevalent in other contexts, even in the global North.Globalisation is not bad in itself, as it offers substantial advantages for the world at large; however, it should not dislodge local imperatives in African research.
In spite of the shortcomings discussed, hope is not lost for curriculum reform in Africa.A few African universities are taking steps to decolonise the curriculum by breaking away from the status quo of Western ontologies and epistemologies.One such university is the African Leadership University (ALU) in Mauritius (Chilisa, 2012).At the ALU, as Katundu (2020) explains, the university is committed to certain key principles in an attempt to Africanise its curricula.First, the university persuades students to make use of other languages apart from English to make them realise that knowledge is produced, consumed, and tested in other tongues as well.Two, the university is transforming its storage system to include non-textual sources of African music, history, food, architecture, culture, beliefs, artefacts and the like.Three, the ALU asserts that students imbibe an African ethos by thinking and acting in line with the highest African ethical standards, while also expecting the same from others.It would be beneficial for universities across Africa take a cue from this example to promote unified decolonised curricula for the good of Africa and its people.
It is important to critically interrogate and disrupt the current structure of educational delivery by transforming education about, and on, Africa to education for Africa and by Africa (see Gaotlhobogwe et al., 2018).This aligns in particular with Freire (2013) and Kincheloe (2007), who argue that the promotion of indigenous knowledge in education is important if people are to experience liberation and empowerment.A reformed curriculum is one that embodies knowledge that is embedded in African histories, experiences and realities (Le Grange, 2016).This notion notwithstanding, I concur with Le Grange (2016) that curriculum reform in African HEIs does not suggest outrightly destroying Western knowledge; rather it suggests decentring it.Also, we must bear in mind that interaction between Africa and the rest of the world has resulted in an influence on African culture as well as borrowed Western concepts that have become a part and parcel of the African culture.Hence, Msila and Gumbo (2016) posit that we cannot talk of a pure African culture that is not influenced by or that has not benefited from Western culture.

Africanisation/indigenisation of the curriculum
In this section, I examine Africanisation and indigenisation to further understand the pathway to curriculum reform in Africa.Both concepts are related, as they speak to a similar course of promoting local African knowledge, practices and peculiarities.In other words, Africanisation and indigenisation acknowledge the vital role of African indigenous knowledge in education delivery.In simple terms, Africanisation can be regarded as a way of making something 'African' in relation to history, identity, culture, practice and philosophy.Broadly defined in terms of education, Africanisation, Chikoko (2016) maintains, is a process of and an approach to achieving African-centredness within the structure of educational delivery, including teaching, learning and educational administration.Indigenisation, on the other hand, is, I argue, a process and an approach for upholding our roots and not neglecting our sources in relation to the curricula, pedagogy and educational instruction.In addition, indigenisation points to the African identity, its survival history as well as its hopes for the future.The terms 'Africanisation' and 'indigenisation' have been associated with curriculum reform (Msila & Gumbo 2016), suggesting that the African higher education curriculum should embrace an African ethos and African indigenous knowledge systems.Nkoane (2014, p. 3) argues that 'Africanisation is a platform that holds African experiences as sources for the construction of forms of knowledge'.
In his speech at the Higher Education Summit held in October 2015 (South African Government, ), the South African Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, called for the Africanisation of universities.He further stated that all universities should do away with the problematic features of their colonial past and examine the issue of decolonising the curriculum.Similarly, Ntuli ( 2014) calls for re-Africanisation instead of Africanisation to allow language and culture to become the core of what universities do.Interdisciplinary approaches linked to African languages, values and cultures are at the heart of Africanisation (Kaschula, 2016).With regard to language, Kaschula (2016) and Le Grange (2016) argue that since the intellectual domination of Africa is linked to English supremacy, it is then reasonable to expand the intellectual repertoire by using local knowledge as a reference point, thereby making room for a deeper level of transformation.They opine that language forms the basis of indigenous knowledge, knowledge formation and the African identity and culture.The challenge I foresee, however, with using local languages as a reference point is the multilingual nature of most African countries.For example, Nigeria has three main languages spoken by the three major tribes (and a host of other languages from the minority tribes) while South Africa has nine official languages.The question would then be whether consensus would be obtained for a preferred language above others, without leading to a battle for linguistic superiority.On this note, Pityana (2014) submits that research done in Africa should be written and published in Africa, while also emphasising the need to create a multi-ethnic curriculum.Perhaps, a multi-ethnic curriculum would work within the multi-ethnic contexts of many African countries, although with its own challenges.Learning becomes applicable when it embodies a sense of identity, ownership and belonging through education.To promote indigenisation is to empower learners to know their culture, ancestry, heritage, communities and identities, and to be able to relate the self to the teaching and learning process, just as Paulo Freire theorised.
That said, indigenising the curriculum is non-negotiable because colonial education has isolated learners from their past, their histories, their cultures, their spiritual and moral values, their heritage, and their indigenous knowledge system (Ngohengo, 2021).It is important to note that Africanising or indigenising the curriculum does not suggest outrightly de-Westernising the curriculum, rather it means asserting Africa at the centre of knowledge, validation, and 1 3 dissemination.I consider it unrealistic to completely exclude Western knowledge from the African curriculum for two reasons.One, we live in a globalised and a highly interdependent world; and two, the history of colonisation cannot be entirely eradicated in Africa.In terms of the latter, the official language of the coloniser remains the official language of most colonised African countries to date, although not all.In Nigeria, for example, the official language is English, having been colonised by Britain.The English language is therefore the language of instruction in Nigerian schools while the official language in Benin Republic remains French, having been colonised by France.
Africanisation and indigenisation have their own inherent values and so they are not necessarily viewed through the lens of colonisation; however, it is almost impossible to talk about Africanisation and indigenisation without touching on the concept of decolonisation, especially in the context of teaching and learning (Le Grange, 2018).Decolonisation, according to Woldegiorgis et al. (2020), is a radical process geared to redefining and redesigning higher education standards and systems, as well as the appropriation of teaching and learning in local contexts and local realities.As Msila and Gumbo (2016) argue, colonisation in African countries and apartheid in South Africa reveal how autocratic regimes utilised education to supress African values, identity and experiences.This is the notion of oppression that Freire refers to in his theory of critical pedagogy and was evident in the Bantu Education Act that established an inferior educational system for black South Africans, as opposed to the quality education that their white counterparts enjoyed.Although this narrative has now changed as the country has undergone substantial transformation that promotes equitable education for all citizens, it has led to an extensive debate on decolonisation in the African context.
African elders and leaders are regarded as the holders and custodians of the indigenous knowledge that is needed to preserve the legacy of 'Africanness'.Further, African elders constitute a key source of knowledge generation for transforming the curriculum in schools, as well as towards community engagement (Dei, 2020).Dei (2020) strongly opines that there is a lot to gain in terms of indigenous science, arts and environmental technology if elders' indigenous knowledge is incorporated in course content.He further suggests that African elders could be invited into educational institutions to teach subjects like African history, culture, morals and character education, thereby also establishing a relationship with local communities, schools, educators and learners (Dei, 2020).This can otherwise be regarded as community engagement or what Webb (2006, p. 13) terms 'meaningful engagement'.Unfortunately, schools and HEIs have not tapped into such rich indigenous knowledge and the experiences of elders to help young learners.Rather, teachers, especially the young ones, rely greatly on African histories and stories read in books, which cannot in any way match up to first-hand knowledge and experience.
romoting Africanisation might raise a question about educational excellence.It should be noted that promoting Africanisation or indigenisation should not in any way compromise excellence.Rather, Africanisation and indigenisation question the conventional and dominant notion of excellence that favours the historic interests of the Western world while second-guessing the excellence of anything related to Africa.Afful-Broni et al., (2020, p. 12) fittingly captures the point about Africanisation/indigenisation and academic excellence thus: 'promoting Africanisation is not a "watering down" of school curriculum or even academic standards.Africanisation is about contextualising knowledge to ensure that learners are able to identify with the processes of educational delivery.It is about ensuring that African learners can own and develop a sense of identification with their knowledge while sharing it globally'.As Paulo Freire advocated in his theory of critical pedagogy, an education that is oppressive and alien, and that does not represent the social context and experiences of a people, should be questioned.The next section examines ways in which we can rethink the curriculum in relation to Africa's problem and needs.

Rethinking the curriculum: solving society's problems and meeting its needs
Rethinking the curriculum calls for a reconsideration of the relationship between education and society.To rethink the curriculum is to confront African intellectual discomfort and ask such questions as how Africans can apply their voices, languages, culture and history to critical and practical discourses that affect them, rather than seek the acceptance and validation of 'foreign' knowledge.To do this, certain schooling, teaching and learning practices should be critiqued to avoid reproducing colonial pedagogies that are not necessarily relevant to Africans.
One important systemic element that needs to be captured by the African higher education curriculum is the transition from school to higher education.The curriculum for undergraduate Engineering degree programmes in South African universities offers a good example of the transition in knowledge from basic engineering to engineering sciences, to complex problems, designs and research.Students are also adequately and differentially prepared based on their educational, linguistic and socioeconomic background (CHE, 2013).Accordingly, the prior learning capabilities of a large student population should not be assumed; hence, provision should be made in the curriculum for appropriate stages of development that cater for various students.
It is important for students to be exposed to enriched learning that is socially and professionally relevant in a contemporary world, and that positions them as active participants in the global space (CHE, 2013).In the same vein, Woldegiorgis et al. (2020) argue for the relevance of a discipline for a purpose.They submit that there is a need to review the curriculum to ensure its disciplinary contents are tailored to societal relevance, the public good, value for money as well as solving human problems.The following paragraphs suggest some reforms that could be considered in the African higher education curriculum.
Digital teaching and learning are fast becoming the norm, especially since the outbreak of Covid-19 globally.HEIs in Africa should move with the technological trend that is sweeping across the world in order to stay relevant.Without doubt, online learning was around before the pandemic, but Covid-19 made it increasingly popular.The implication of this is that HEIs should ensure the flexibility of their curricula by redesigning or at least amending them to incorporate this trend.
A practical curriculum as opposed to a curriculum that is overladen with theories is also essential in meeting the developmental goals of an African society.The issue of graduate unemployability is one of the concerns of employers in Africa (Trust Africa, 2015).Employers are often faced with retraining these graduates in skills that they expect them to already possess.In view of this, Trust Africa (2015) emphasises the need to ensure that there is synchronisation between the curricula developed by African HEIs and the workplace.
Scientific inventions and innovations are not alien to Africa.From ancient times, Africans have been engaging in indigenous skills and crafts for their own survival.Msila and Gumbo (2016) rightly mention that Africans have been using technology in their day-to-day activities since time immemorial.They have fished, made weapons, woven baskets, made and designed jewellery, made sandals, formulated indigenous medicine, produced carpentry and printed fabrics among a host of other things for their own survival.It would therefore not be out of place if these skills and crafts were embedded in African educational curricula in order for the younger generation to have hands-on training in these crafts.Unfortunately, foreign items are preferred over beautifully handmade African crafts, even by Africans themselves.
African HEIs will do well to position issues affecting Africa and Africans at the top of the agenda in relation to the curriculum.Such issues include poverty, terrorism, quality education, the brain drain and healthcare.Rather than populating subjects and courses with discourses that have little or no benefit for Africans, priority should be given to the issues that are core to Africa.For instance, every African child should be empowered through education from a young age to learn entrepreneurship and skills that would make them financially independent because poverty seems to be at the centre of most of the problems confronting the continent.
The afore-mentioned curriculum changes are major and cannot be done by mere marginal amendment.An effective curriculum reform calls for a coherent redesign that is tailored to realistic expectations.

The curriculum: local imperative or global relevance?
In my opinion, the local and the global terrain are two phenomena that are always contesting for preference.In the context of the curriculum, it is important that students are trained to be versatile and well-grounded so as to compete both locally and globally.Nevertheless, in any nation of the world, lasting change will only take place if more attention is paid to local issues and less to external global demands, irrespective of how pressing the latter appears to be.According to Pinar (2011), there is a need to refocus the curriculum on significant individual experiences in such a way that the curriculum content is aligned to the society it serves.From Pinar's submission it can be deduced that individual and societal experiences should be prioritised over global ones.Africa needs education that is tailored to addressing the rising levels of poverty, unemployment, social inequalities, the brain drain, terrorism, gender-based violence and other forms of violence that are rampaging through the continent.Again, this aligns with Freire's submission that education should be relatable and applicable to a people for the advancement of their lives and society.
Furthermore, many African HEIs are more concerned about international yardsticks for measuring institutional successes, such as the global institutional rankings, the internationalisation of higher education, and teaching and learning collaborations, rather than thinking through and focusing on African initiatives and African-centred education that will benefit local priorities.Understandably, globalisation is a strong force that influences all aspects of human life, including education, and makes African HEIs aspire to be on par with their international counterparts; however, we should consider making conscious efforts not to neglect local imperatives.One of the goals of education is to strengthen local knowledge and cultural resources while also developing human capacity to be able to respond to societal problems and needs.Education is more than material gain, it affirms a learner's sense of self, purpose, identity, culture and meaning.This understanding of education, which should be entrenched in the curriculum, could be attained through teaching, and learning and the administration of education that begins with the individual and flows down to the community, the nation and the continent at large.Education that fails to prioritise the self and the local is de-rooted, decontextualised and not anchored on the foundations of human existence (Kamwendo, 2016).Knowledge should begin with what we know and what is relevant, before linking it to a broader context.This is in line with Katundu's (2020) argument that local contextualisation allows Africans and African learners to own their knowledge before attempting to make connections with global knowledge.That notwithstanding, I submit that learners should be equipped with fully developed knowledge and skills that enable them to be locally relevant and globally competitive.

Conclusion
This paper has argued that reforming the curriculum implies rethinking it to ensure its relevance for the public good of African society and the people.Education presents numerous opportunities for a nation and its people; if well harnessed, education can enable people to lead prosperous lives and also have fulfilling visions and ambitions.Therefore, it is important that the content of the education curriculum that African learners are exposed to is relatable to them and the society they live in.Africa needs a kind of education that provokes deep thought in the African learner about the needs and problems confronting Africa, and ways of advancing the continent.As mentioned earlier, all forms of knowledge are dynamic and important in their own way; nevertheless, we should establish what speaks to our particularities as Africans and follow that path.If we are to see the development we desire in Africa, African HEI curricula should be centred on teaching African realities and knowledge systems.African higher education stakeholders should continue to engage in further thinking on some of the issues upon which the survival of African people and African communities rest, which in turn should inform curriculum reform.