Call for Book Chapters

Marketing Higher Education in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities.

Editors:

Emmanuel Mogaji, University of Greenwich, UK

Felix Maringe, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Introduction

Universities in Africa are witnessing unprecedented growth; there have been rapid increases in the number of universities in Africa over the last 20 years. Some of the national governments proved incapable of meeting the ever-growing demand of their citizens for university education. It is not surprising that privately owned institutions sprang up to close the gap. Nigeria is the most populous country in the African continent. The government body in charge of her university education, the National Universities Commission, is processing over 200 applications for the establishment of new private universities in the country. Presently, she has only 153 Universities and a population of over 150 million people. Different religious bodies are also playing key roles in this rapid private investment in university education. Despite some questions regarding the adequacy of their facilities, location and staffing, private universities have become the institutions of choice for many students and their parents.

The increase in the number of universities in Africa have caused the need for the formation of international partnerships with Universities in Europe and America. Even some other foreign universities are opening campuses in Africa. For example, Lancaster University in Lancashire, England has opened a campus in Ghana which. This allows students across Africa to access Lancaster's academic excellence in teaching and research in the African continent.

There are growing potentials for higher education in Africa, but little is known about the dynamics of the sector. With the growing number of student enrolment, the public-sector inability to meet the ever-increasing demands and new private universities springing up, there is competition for students. It is essential for universities to identify their niche market and effectively communicate their messages to this particular group. Theoretical research in understanding students’ choice and universities' marketing strategies have been enormous across Europe and America. However, the understanding of higher education in Africa’s context has not been expanded. This highlights many research gaps this edited book aims to fill.

The objective of the Book

As universities grow, they make more effort to attract prospective students. While acknowledging the regional differences in Africa, this book aims to offer empirical insight into the higher education market across the continent. It will provide significant theoretical and marketing practice implications for academics, higher education administrators and practitioners on how best to reach out to market higher education in Africa and reach out to prospective students. International practitioners aiming to market to prospective African students or wishing to start partnerships with existing African universities will also find this relevant in understanding the dynamics of the African higher education market.

Target audience

This timely and scholarly book will be of interest to university administrators, policy makers, government officials, as well as international agencies/organisations. Likewise, a secondary target audience consists of researchers and students who are interested in the marketing of higher education in Africa.

Recommended Topics

Contributors may submit proposals on topics that include, but are not limited to, those listed below. The chapters may take various forms.

Theme 1: Understanding the Market

• The prospective students

• Private and Public Universities

• International Partnership

• Government Policies on Education

• Cultural, Racial and Religious Influences on the market

• Competition within the market

• Comparative and international perspectives on the future of African universities

• International and Home Student Satisfaction

• Strategic Alliances with foreign Universities:

• Student Recruitment and Retention

Theme 2: Marketing Strategies

• The University as a Brand

• International brand alliances and co-branding

• Brand Identity Designs

• Website for Student recruitment

• Design and development of prospectuses

• Open day for student recruitment

• Social media and digital marketing

• Use of ranking and league tables

Theme 3: Student Choice making

• Evaluative criteria used by students and parents

• The university information search processes

• Influence of parents, guardians and religious affiliation

• The reputation of the university

• The relationship between the alumni and the alma mater

• Prospective International students’ decision-making process

• Prospective African Union students’ decision-making process

Submission process

Potential contributors are invited to submit, on or before January 31, 2019, an abstract of 300 – 400 words proposal (excluding references) that presents the intended contributions of their chapter, intended approach and methodology and how their intended chapters will critically engage with the marketing of higher education in Africa.

In addition, authors should provide the following:

· Proposed titles of their chapters

· The theme (see above) of their intended chapters

· Full names

· E-mail addresses and

· Affiliations

Chapters submitted must not have been published, accepted for publication, or under consideration for publication anywhere else.

Proposals should be submitted to [email protected]

By February 15, 2019, potential authors will be notified about the status of their proposed chapters. When accepted, the authors will receive further information regarding the submission process, including the formatting guidelines.

Full chapters should be submitted on or before April 30, 2019, via e-mail in a single attached Word file to [email protected]

Final submissions should be approximately 4,000-5,000 words in length, excluding references, figures, tables, and appendices. All chapters will be peer-reviewed.

Key deadlines:

• January 31, 2019 Proposal submission deadline (300-400 words)

• February 15, 2019 Notification of acceptance of proposal

• April 30, 2019 First draft of full chapter submission

• June 30, 2019 First round of peer review completed

• July 30, 2019 Revision submission

• August 30, 2019 Final acceptance notification

• December 2019 Publication

Publisher

Palgrave have expressed a strong interest in publishing this book but are waiting for the decision from two more publishers before making a final decision.

Please address any questions you may have to Dr Emmanuel Mogaji - [email protected]