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The Association of African Universities (AAU) has identified corruption and threats to officials of accreditation bodies as some of the issues affecting the quality of some higher education institutions across the continent. “Because of corruption, some universities that are owned by ‘the rich and famous’ as well as politicians just get opened without the minimum requirements. Some accreditation bodies also face threats if they refuse to open unbefitting institutions,”. The AAU is preparing to implement the regional recognition of higher education qualifications across Africa .

A top Nigerian academic has generated heated debate after publicly criticising the country’s university accreditation agency for lack of autonomy, negligence and double standards in its annual accreditation of courses. All accusations have been denied by the agency. The Professor accused the National Universities Commission, or NUC, of becoming a mouthpiece for government and failing to perform its duties as a regulatory agency created to ensure quality in universities. He accused the NUC of aiding and abetting corruption in its accreditation exercise, and said there were allegations that some people conducting accreditation “receive brown envelopes” – a euphemism for bribes – which also undermined the credibility of NUC accreditation.