Principal Investigator at the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies In Africa (MIASA) and Senior Research Fellow at Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana, Dr. Chika Mba has revealed that the concept of Academic Freedom being preached in the academia circles in universities on the continent is not absolute in all its forms.
His revelation comes on the back of a roundtable organized by the MIASA domiciled on the campus of the University of Ghana and its counterpart in the Maghreb (MECAM) on the theme ” Academic Freedom and Research Ethics ; Exploring Dynamics in Ghana, Tunisia and Germany.
The event sought to bring together distinguished Scholars across various fields in the three target countries and students , policymakers to brainstorm on ways to maximize the potential of universities and research entities to be able to use their scholarly works to shape and improve society in contemporary times and enhance knowledge transfer.
Speaking at a panel discussion , Dr Mba indicated that from his experience as a lecturer in Nigeria and Ghana , it is trite knowledge that the concept of Academic freedom was not absolute in institutions of higher learning given the power dynamics ,that central governments have on funding public universities and the ability of such institutions to be able to call out or critique actions or inactions of political authorities without suffering financial reprisals from state coffers.
He added that in order to be in the good books of public officials and to keep running sustainably , researchers and academics choose to stay away from issues of national concern which borders on the governance of their host countries or choose to window dress such issues which hurts the development of the country in the long run.
” Academic freedom in our part of the world can be best described as a bit utopian due to a myriad of factors including political ,social and cultural factors which impedes the effectiveness of scholars in public universities in particular shying away from talking on political issues which draw controversy or call out governmental missteps or maladministration , which results from the same political actors holding the keys to the purse which funds about 85% of local universities in Africa using my experience as a lecturer in Ghana and Nigeria.
Given historical antecedents from the 1960s under Nkrumah in Ghana where most of the best brains in our universities were linked with political appointments as a way of silencing voices of reason to the heady days of the military regimes , where force of threats from authorities pushed dissent from scholars into the doldrums and stagnated a democratic environment for academic freedom and the expression of free will to drive inclusive growth in society”.
Also, the Vice President of the University of Tunisia and MECAM , Professor Emma Betaief intimated that for the case of Tunisia where she added that there were tighter laws on Academic freedom in her country due to strong regimes over time which repressed voices of dissent particularly on university campuses which pushed such voices to seek refuge abroad and rather encourage the need of free expression from the diaspora which yielded to positive developments especially after the Middle East and North African Revolution of 2011.
” In Tunisia and North Africa in particularly , due to strong regimes and dominant one party states in the early parts of the independence struggle and liberation fights and post such struggles , it made a toxic environment for the expression of free will on university campuses and stifled the dividends of democracy in order to protect such regimes.
After several decades of sustained advocacy and protests from academics, ordinary civilians and the activists who braved the storm amidst also occasional threats from extremist elements , the long serving governments had to bow to pressure and open up the country to competing opinions and interests on how best such academic contributions facilitate wholistic development of such countries and maximize economic potentials in the comity of nations”.
Furthermore, the Germany’s MECAM Director , Professor Rachid Quaissa added his voice that to be able to keep the relevance of academia in the political architecture of nations with focus on authoritarian states, it behoves a stronger nexus of collaboration between the media , Civil Society Organizations and the media to create a framework which tempers the frequent governmental overruns which undermines the efficiency of universities and researchers from contributing their invaluable quota to the complete development of their home nations.
” In the ever changing and sophisticated era of democracy and neoliberalist economic structures gaining full traction the world over , and dictatorial regimes becoming out of fashion . it behoves on academics ,civil society actors and their counterparts in the media to draw up strategies which amplify their concerns with domestic and cosmopolitan issues which affects their compatriots on a daily basis and foster dynamic solutions to guide conversations in the growth and sustainability of their nations to meet their aspirations in an ultra competitive geopolitical world”.
Ultimately, the roundtable underscored that academic freedom is essential for national development. Scholars must be free not only to pursue intellectual curiosity but also to address real-world problems for the benefit of society.