The African university in the 21st century: the quest for self-financing in the Zimbabwe Open University

Abstract

This paper argues that the higher education sector in Zimbabwe has changed significantly from what it was in 1957 when the University of Zimbabwe was established. Due to excessive demand for higher education, and the unavailability of adequate funding, universities need to borrow concepts from the world of business to survive in a volatile market. Institutions such as the Zimbabwe Open University have developed a strategic plan and a balance scorecard that is intended to assist the institution in responding to competitive forces within the higher education sector. Funding remains one of the main challenges for universities. Therefore, we have to develop structures, processes, cultures and products that will enable us to move away from viewing universities as cost centres to profit centres that generate income and in the process improve our products and processes.