By Robert Ebo HINSON (Prof)
As the global higher education sector becomes increasingly marketised, the African university system finds itself at a crossroads.
Dwindling public funding, growing student populations, intensified global competition, and the entry of foreign institutions into the continent have exposed the need for African universities to adopt marketing not as an auxiliary tool but as a core strategic enabler.
Marketing must be reimagined and embedded into the very DNA of African universities across five critical levels: brand enhancement, sustainability enablement, customer experience design, sub-brand promotion, and leadership branding.
Drawing on the work of Mogaji, Maringe, and Hinson (2020), it is clear that marketisation in African higher education is no longer optional. It is a structural and strategic imperative that must be decolonised, contextually grounded, and purposefully executed to ensure the survival and growth of universities across the continent.
Level 1: Marketing as a Corporate Brand Enhancer
In today’s hyper-competitive global higher education landscape, African universities must establish and sustain distinct, compelling brands.
With universities sprouting globally, including satellite campuses of European and Asian institutions on African soil, brand differentiation is critical. Marketing plays a foundational role in creating a powerful university brand identity that transcends borders.
According to Mogaji, Maringe, and Hinson (2020), African universities must develop culturally relevant branding strategies that reflect their local realities while aspiring to global competitiveness.
Strong branding drives international partnerships, attracts global students, and increases alumni engagement — key factors for endowment building and fundraising success.
In short, if African universities are to move from survival to significance, strategic marketing must become the engine of visibility, trust, and influence.
Level 2: Marketing as a Sustainability Enabler
The second layer of strategic marketing for African universities lies in supporting sustainability.
As institutions that shape the continent’s future leaders, universities must take the lead in modelling sustainable development practices — and marketing can support this agenda through green marketing strategies.
Green marketing, as noted by Peattie and Crane (2005), extends beyond eco-friendly rhetoric to involve the systematic planning, execution, and communication of environmental initiatives.
African universities should adopt green marketing frameworks to build and report on sustainability routines and outcomes.
This will not only meet stakeholder expectations but also position universities as responsible, forward-thinking institutions aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As Mogaji et al. (2020) note, African universities must respond to changing stakeholder expectations around sustainability, accountability, and social responsibility — and this requires robust marketing support.
Level 3: Marketing as a Customer and Student Experience Architect
Higher education is now a service economy, and African universities must become adept at managing the student journey as a holistic customer experience.
From admissions to graduation and alumni relations, marketing provides the strategies and insights needed to create exceptional, student-centred experiences.
Kotler and Fox (1995) emphasise that value in education is co-created through positive interactions, reliable processes, and empathetic engagement — all domains where marketing provides vital structure. The work of Mogaji, Maringe, and Hinson (2020) also stresses the growing role of experience marketing in shaping perceptions of educational quality and institutional reliability.
A seamless student experience is a magnet for positive word-of-mouth, stronger retention, repeat enrolments in executive programmes, and ultimately, a stronger institutional brand.
Level 4: Marketing as a Sub-Brand Promoter
African universities are not monolithic entities; they are ecosystems of sub-brands — schools, colleges, departments, centres, and programmes — each with unique offerings and value propositions. Level four of strategic marketing enables universities to position these sub-brands effectively to distinct audiences.
Just as multinational corporations market individual product lines under a master brand, universities must tailor marketing approaches for business schools, engineering faculties, law schools, and continuing education units.
This helps sharpen the messaging, improve enrolments, and allow units to pursue independent branding goals while remaining under the umbrella of the parent institution.
As Mogaji et al. (2020) observe, this internal segmentation enables institutions to leverage niche strengths and appeal to specific demographic groups across undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive education markets.
Level 5: Marketing as a Framework for Leadership and Faculty Branding
The final but increasingly vital tier in the marketing architecture is the personal branding of Vice-Chancellors and faculty.
African universities must embrace marketing strategies that position university leaders as thought leaders, institutional champions, and global academic CEOs. When well-branded, Vice-Chancellors enhance the legitimacy, trust, and visibility of the institutions they serve.
This is consistent with Shepherd’s (2005) argument that CEO branding has direct consequences for institutional performance. Mogaji, Maringe, and Hinson (2020) reinforce this by highlighting the need for academics to actively manage their personal brands — not merely for ego, but as a strategic imperative for research visibility, public engagement, and institutional outreach.
Faculty members who are well-branded attract media visibility, global partnerships, research funding, and collaborative teaching opportunities — all of which benefit their institutions directly.
Conclusion: Towards Strategic Marketisation of African Higher Education
The work of Mogaji, Maringe, and Hinson (2020) provides a timely and robust foundation for rethinking the future of African higher education through the lens of marketing.
Their scholarship makes it abundantly clear: the marketisation of higher education in Africa must be done strategically, contextually, and ethically. African universities must embrace marketing as a five-level strategic enabler that delivers more than revenue — it delivers relevance, reputation, and resilience.
Policymakers must also rise to the occasion by embedding marketing, branding, and internationalisation within national tertiary education policies. The silence of African governments on global educational marketing strategy is deafening — and damaging.
In a world where universities must fight to be seen, heard, and chosen, African universities can no longer afford to be marketing spectators. They must step forward, take control of their narrative, and boldly position themselves on the global academic stage.
References
- Hemsley-Brown, J., & Goonawardana, S. (2007). Brand Harmonization in the International Higher Education Market. Journal of Business Research, 60(9), 942–948.
- Kotler, P., & Fox, K.F.A. (1995). Strategic Marketing for Educational Institutions (2nd ed.).
- Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., & Hinson, R. E. (2020). Strategic Marketing of Higher Education in Africa. Routledge.
- Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., & Hinson, R. E. (2020). Higher Education Marketing in Africa. Routledge.
- Mogaji, E., Maringe, F., & Hinson, R. E. (2020). Marketisation in Higher Education in Africa: New Directions for a Decolonising Continent.
- Peattie, K., & Crane, A. (2005). Green Marketing: Legend, Myth, Farce or Prophesy? Qualitative Market Research, 8(4), 357–370.
- Shepherd, I.D.H. (2005). From Cattle and Coke to Charlie: Meeting the Challenge of Self Marketing and Personal Branding. Journal of Marketing Management, 21(5–6), 589–606.
