Aid Conditionality in African Higher Education – The Case of Cameroon: Implications for Multinational Finance of Education and Educational Policy Borrowing

Abstract

Conditionality has always been an integral aspect of multinational aid schemes for so many decades. While some studies have been conducted on aid conditionality across different aspects of development, human social existence, educational sectors and contexts; less attention has been paid to what goes on within the framework of higher education (HE) especially in Africa at large and Cameroon in particular. Using interviews, focus group discussions and text documents, this article examines academic conditionality perceived as negative, metaphors of aid conditionality depicting problems, and some implications of aid conditionality for multinational finance of higher education institutions (HEIs) and educational policy borrowing in Africa/Cameroon by learning from existing literature. Conclusively, the article suggests that multinational aid donors should be encouraged to reinforce academic conditionality perceived as positive, and not academic conditionality perceived as negative in order to obtain a win-win relationship with aid recipients.