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By Professor Robert Ebo Hinson
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As the world’s knowledge economy continues to evolve, marketing has become an essential requirement for universities to sustain themselves—especially so in Africa where this urgency is most pressing.
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African universities must adopt marketing not just as a communication tool, but as a key strategy for their survival, relevance, and expansion, due to decreasing governmental funding, increasing worldwide competition, and the growing expectations within the market-driven field of higher education.
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Universities: Catalysts for Social Progress Under Pressure
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Universities around the world play a key role in transforming nations by cultivating competent graduates, advancing knowledge via research initiatives, and acting as intellectual hubs for national progress.
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These organizations fulfill the threefold mission of education, research, and community engagement—functions that are essential for the social and economic progress of any society (Kotler & Fox, 1995).
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Nevertheless, numerous African universities currently face severe financial challenges. Many are burdened with substantial debts, and ironically, certain business schools—which should ideally showcase profitability—are finding it difficult merely to cover their costs.
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As I discuss here, the primary source of this issue stems from the persistent underuse of strategic marketing efforts. When properly comprehended and implemented, marketing enables educational institutions to draw in and keep students, garner financial backing from donors, develop strong institutional brands, and successfully vie for prominence in the international education sector (Mogaji, Maringe & Hinson, 2020a).
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The Part Played by Marketing in Ensuring University Sustainability
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Promoting services within higher education requires matching university programs with the changing requirements and tastes of various parties involved, including learners, mothers and fathers, former students, teaching staff, state entities, and financial supporters.
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This includes more than just communication; it involves strategy—developing products (programs), setting prices, engaging students, crafting experiences, and establishing brand positions.
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According to Sprout Social, contemporary university marketing departments face the challenge of attracting prospective students as well as boosting internal communication, enhancing community spirit, and encouraging stakeholder involvement.
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A market-driven mission guarantees that the university stays both responsive and pertinent. In this sense, marketing does not diminish academic quality but rather enhances it by making sure that the value is consistently and effectively conveyed to outside parties.
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Learning from global precedents
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Institutions of higher learning in wealthier regions around the world have widely adopted marketing strategies to foster expansion. The remarkable success of Harvard University’s fundraising initiative, surpassing its initial $6.5 billion objective with a total collection of $9.6 billion, exemplifies the impact that well-executed marketing tactics can achieve.
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Likewise, Loughborough University’s engaging #LboroFamily initiative fostered a strong sense of belonging and emotional attachment among newcomers—a strategy that educational institutions across Africa could adopt.
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Meanwhile, countries like the UK have institutionalised international education strategies, aiming to grow education exports to £35 billion and increase international student enrolment to 600,000 by 2030 (University World News, 2019).
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Sadly, comprehensive policy frameworks are notably missing from the majority of African education ministries, highlighting a significant oversight in strategy.
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A Shortfall in Marketing Within African Educational Policies
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The absence of marketing considerations in African higher education policies is clear. Take, for instance, Ghana’s Universities Bill – a proposal that caused significant uproar among academics. This bill primarily concentrated on organizational structures without addressing aspects such as marketing, globalization, or innovation.
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This lack of policy reflects a more significant problem: numerous accreditation agencies and higher education boards throughout the region still haven’t officially acknowledged marketing as a key component of university management strategies (Mogaji, Maringe & Hinson, 2020b).
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If they lack a strategic marketing approach, numerous African universities could falter due to inefficiency and diminished international standing. These institutions need to strike a delicate equilibrium between fulfilling their societal duties and managing the intricate operations of sizable, high-stakes entities.
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The critical argument for marketization in African universities
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The concept of "marketization" within African higher education frequently encounters opposition. Detractors contend that institutions ought to avoid becoming overly "commercial." Although these worries are justified, they typically arise from a misinterpretation of what marketization actually involves.
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When deconstructed and rooted in ethics, marketization does not involve turning education into a commodity. Instead, it focuses on ensuring that an institution’s actions match the standards set by those who finance, use, and gain from higher education (Mogaji, Maringe & Hinson, 2020c).
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More universities are now required to prove their worth — with marketing serving as the medium for conveying this value.
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Mogaji and colleagues (2020d) contend that marketization in Africa should be tailored to specific contexts, steering clear of blanket implementation of European and American frameworks. They advocate for African institutions to develop indigenous marketing strategies that align with their own cultural nuances, available resources, and educational goals.
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Participating in an Globally Integrated Educational Market
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In Ghana alone, international institutions like the China Europe International Business School, Lancaster University, and Webster University have established actual campuses.
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These organizations provide appealing offers, powerful brand names, and internationally connected degree programs — exerting pressure on nearby universities to enhance their offerings.
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For African universities to flourish in today’s landscape, they should embrace and tailor the university marketing mix: academic programs (product), tuition fees along with overall value proposition (price), distribution channels like online platforms (place), branding strategies and communication messages (promotion), caliber of staff and faculty members (people), campus facilities and ambiance (physical evidence), as well as the student experience from enrollment through graduation (process) (Kotler & Fox, 1995; Mogaji et al., 2020e).
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In this light, effective product management—the ongoing evaluation and enhancement of educational programs, facilities, and services—becomes crucial. Institutions should regularly review their provisions to guarantee they align with students’ goals as well as market needs.
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Reframing the African University
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It’s time to stop idealizing the non-commercial essence of African universities. These institutions need to adapt. Although universities shouldn’t abandon their core values due to commercial pressures, they also can’t afford to overlook the consequences of inadequate branding, inflexible course offerings, and isolated community involvement from stakeholders.
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The future of higher education in Africa relies on two key aspects: achieving academic excellence and maintaining organizational flexibility. Marketing acts as the connector—assisting institutions in staying socially influential while also ensuring economic stability.
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Conclusion
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Scholarship regarding marketing in African higher education is clear: strategic marketing needs to be integral to the management, financing, and growth of universities throughout the continent (Mogaji, Maringe & Hinson, 2020f). Absent this change, numerous African institutions may continue to struggle with inadequate funds, poor performance, and lack of recognition.
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The organizations that will guide Africa towards the future will be those that do more than just create knowledge; they must also know how to strategically present, advocate for, and maintain this knowledge in a challenging global landscape.
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References
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<ul>
<li>
Kotler, P., & Fox, K. F. A. (1995).
Strategic Marketing Strategies for Schools and Universities
(2nd ed.). Prentice Hall.
</li>
<li>
Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., and Hinson, R. E. (2020a).
Strategic Marketing for Higher Education in Africa
. Routledge.
</li>
<li>
Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., and Hinson, R. E. (2020b).
Marketization in Higher Education in Africa: Emerging Trends for a Continent Pursuing Decolonization
.
</li>
<li>
Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., and Hinson, R. E. (2020c). New Challenges and Possibilities for Marketing in Higher Education. In
Strategic Marketing for Higher Education in Africa
(pp. 1–12). Routledge.
</li>
<li>
Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., and Hinson, R. E. (2020d).
Marketing Higher Education in Africa
. Routledge.
</li>
<li>
Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., and Hinson, R. E. (2020e). Grasping the Marketplace Dynamics in African Tertiary Institutions. In
Strategic Marketing for Higher Education in Africa
(pp. 3–16). Routledge.
</li>
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Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., and Hinson, R. E. (2020f). Marketing and Brand Communication in African Higher Education: A Research Agenda. In
Strategic Marketing for Higher Education in Africa
.
</li>
<li>
Peattie, K., & Crane, A. (2005). Green Marketing: Is It Just a Legend, Myth, Farce, or Foretelling?
Qualitative Market Research
, 8(4), 357–370.
</li>
<li>
University World News. (2019).
The UK introduces a fresh international education strategy.
.
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190318201709793
</li>
<li>
Sprout Social. (n.d.).
Higher Education Marketing Guide
.
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/higher-education-marketing/
</li>
</ul>
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. (
Syndigate.info
).
Marketing Is No Longer a Choice: The Strategic Imperative for African Universities’ Survival
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