African Geographical Review
Volume 29, Issue 1, June 2010

Editorial

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

William G. Moseley (Macalester College, USA) and Kefa M. Otiso (Bowling Green University, USA)

Abstract:

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, none have been attempted at the continental scale.  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; skills which are increasingly crucial for surviving in a world dominated by rapid change.  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.   The authors further seek to explain the observed distribution of geography programs and comment on some broader historical trends within academic geography on the continent.

Key words: African geography programs, African universities, colonialism and geography

The analysis, maps and tables in this editorial are based on a preliminary inventory of geography and geography-related departments in Subsaharan Africa compiled in the January-April 2010 period.