Universities across Africa could face significant setbacks in research collaboration, postgraduate training and academic capacity building following proposed funding cuts by the German government that would phase out many long-standing higher education partnerships with the Global South.
The warning comes from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), whose member universities have urged Berlin to reconsider plans by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to end most of its university cooperation programmes by 2031. The proposal would effectively dismantle one of Germany’s flagship mechanisms for supporting higher education partnerships across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Over the past several decades, DAAD-supported programmes have helped establish joint research centres, train thousands of master's and doctoral students, strengthen university governance, modernise curricula and build long-term institutional partnerships between African and German universities. Many of these collaborations have become pillars of scientific research in fields ranging from public health and climate change to engineering, agriculture and renewable energy.
University leaders warn that ending these programmes would undermine years of investment in research capacity at a time when African universities are expected to play an increasingly important role in addressing global challenges.
According to DAAD President Prof. Joybrato Mukherjee, international university cooperation has evolved far beyond traditional development assistance and now serves as a strategic investment in global knowledge production, scientific diplomacy and sustainable development. He cautioned that withdrawing support would weaken Germany's long-standing academic partnerships while creating opportunities for other global powers to expand their influence in higher education cooperation.
The proposed changes are part of broader budget reductions affecting Germany's development cooperation portfolio. Under current plans, nearly all BMZ-funded university cooperation programmes administered by DAAD would be discontinued by 2031, with only limited exceptions remaining. Several existing initiatives financed through special development programmes are also scheduled to end earlier.
African universities are experiencing rapid growth in student enrolment while simultaneously expanding research ambitions and international collaborations. Many institutions have increasingly relied on long-term partnerships with European universities to strengthen doctoral education, improve research infrastructure and participate in global scientific networks.
Countries around the world are investing heavily in international research collaboration, recognising that challenges such as climate change, emerging diseases, food security and artificial intelligence increasingly require cross-border scientific cooperation. African universities have become increasingly important partners in these efforts, contributing locally generated knowledge and expanding research leadership across the continent.
For Africa, the potential loss of German-backed programmes could affect not only research funding but also opportunities for academic mobility, joint degree programmes, staff exchanges and institutional development that have supported the internationalisation of many universities.
Photo courtesy: DAAD
Article by Jed Mwangi
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