Universities generate a lot of knowledge through faculty and students’ research, which is needed for society and national development. Further, due to the increasing demand, universities are also engaged in research for development and community outreach, both of which are beneficial for national development.

Universities also provide a lot of social services to society. However, the visibility of African universities’ contribution to society development, and policy formulation in particular, is not that visible to the general public, especially in the area of policy. This is partly because university scientists and researchers have challenges in communicating the information they gather and the knowledge they generate for informing decision making and consequently national development.