Academic Integrity in Africa: Role of Leadership

Corruption in African countries affects various sectors of society – government, business, religion, health, and police – and higher education is no exception. It is imperative, therefore, for African universities to promote academic integrity among their students, as this would help them later to become responsible citizens and professionals. A survey of the situation in different African universities shows that academic dishonesty is widespread in Africa, thus threatening the credibility of higher education. There are three approaches to combat academic dishonesty: punitive, deterrent, and sensitization. So far, most African universities have adopted the punitive approach of identifying malpractitioners and applying punishment. This has not been very effective. It is proposed that priority be given to using a sensitization approach. This would require African universities to develop a clear institutional strategy for promoting academic integrity, with the establishment of an academic integrity unit and developing a university policy on academic integrity. A major task of the unit would be to widely disseminate the policy and organize sensitization campaigns among students, new and existing. The importance of this initiative for both universities and society at large cannot be over-emphasized and it should not be constrained by lack of funds. However, for universities to succeed in their task of promoting academic integrity, they need to have leaders with an unblemished record for integrity. Unfortunately, not all African universities benefit from such leadership. It is therefore important that having outstanding qualities of integrity and openness be included as an essential attribute in the selection of university leaders.