Assessing Sub-Saharan Africa's University-Level Geography Resources: A Preliminary Investigation

INTRODUCTION Past studies have sought to quantify levels of Africa or Global South focused geographic training in the North American academy (Robinson and Long 2005; Moseley and Otiso 2008). These studies are important to assess whether or not adequate numbers of African experts are being trained to serve students and government institutions in the Global North. Remarkably few studies have been undertaken to assess the level of university geography resources within Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. While reviews of the state of geography have been done in some African countries, such as South Africa (Mather 2007) or Nigeria (Okpala 1990; Udo 2004), none have been attempted at the continental scale to our knowledge. Such assessments are a starting point for beginning to understand whether or not African students and governments have adequate access to sufficient amounts of geographic knowledge, perspectives and techniques. These skills are critical as they are increasingly crucial for surviving in a world dominated by rapid change (NAS 2010). This study presents and analyzes a simple inventory of geography programs in SSA. The spatial distribution of geography programs across the continent is assessed, as well as the rank of countries in terms of their university-level geography programs. We further seek to explain the observed distribution of geography programs and comment on some broader historical trends within academic geography on the continent.