Strengthening African universities' strategic role in knowledge and technology development: policies and practice from Sudan

Universities in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are under increasing governmental pressure to make direct, visible, and relevant contributions to national research and development (ISNAR, 1995). The aim of this paper is to develop a framework for the analysis of the role of African universities in development-oriented research. Sudan provides the focus for this study primarily because of the strong differences in the size of its National Agricultural Research Institutions (NARIs), its cultural and historical backgrounds, and the organisation and management of its university research. This paper examines those factors influencing the contribution to the stock of intellectual knowledge and increased added value in Sudanese agriculture of agricultural research and technology development within the University of Gezira (GU). Conclusions are set within the context of the general constraints facing the agricultural sector in Sudan. The paper demonstrates that successful agricultural technology management for the future in Sudan is related closely to effective diffusion of knowledge from GU, and this in turn presents real challenges emanating from the continuing development of practical but complex linkages between the University and a range of partner institutions. A number of findings emerge, which outline the key issues relating to the effective management of the necessary technological transformation in Sudan, providing a blueprint for policy makers in taking appropriate and immediate measures to improve the agricultural technology development in Sudan.