Analysing the Limitations of African Institutions of higher Education in Enhancing Creativity, Research and Innovation in Agriculture for Food Security as a Sustainable Development Goal

Abstract

The role of a university is key for sustainable development of any society in the world. Graduates from all disciplines must have knowledge and skills on sustainability as universities are regarded as key institutions for behavior modeling in the process of social change and development. This is a desk research purposed to analyze the role universities as institutions of higher learning should undertake in mitigating the challenges the society face even in such a time of climate change. The greatest role of a university is the production of highly skilled manpower and research output for meeting perceived targets in the global society. Universities are instruments that should provide new knowledge and skills that is needed to meet the contemporary challenges for sustainable development, creation of awareness and provision of necessary preconditions that will lead to informed decision-making for consumer’s choice by understanding what exists through brain, knowing how to do it-vocational training by hands, and recognizing why we do it, ones’ place in society the heart. This is the core role of the university. Through this paper, we re-examine the origin, development, and roles of university in the modern world. A few years ago there has been an exponential and unprecedented growth in the world of technology and artificial intelligence capabilities affecting all arenas of life and challenges in the current working practices. This study helps us to understand how a society that is digitally enabled can match the daily demands placed upon it. The paper also discusses the ways universities can become relevant agents of change through modifying their roles in response to challenges facing the global society. Thus, for the society to understand the impact of university’s education, it has to perform its unique function as an enabler of change which can be achieved by embracing and walking the path of technology. Therefore, the discussion and debates around teaching activities and professional training for high level jobs and education that is necessary for development of the personality is brought out here.