Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEI) are established to address human resource needs by producing graduates with the relevant knowledge, skills and attitude for the labour market and improving the country’s ability to maximize its long-term economic, social and political developments. The fetters of higher education are the challenges bedeviling its growth and development. This paper focuses on appropriate technology and innovations needed to break these fetters. Desktop research was used for data collection and textual analysis was deployed to analyze data. Results showed there were inadequate skilled lecturers, poor mentorship scheme, inequitable access, irrelevant curriculum, scarcity of lecture halls, inadequate research initiative and low ICT-mediated education. It is recommended that learner-centred  and a problem-based instructions must be adopted, lecturers should be mentored  and trained in  the art and skill of teaching;  assessment method must challenge  students to perform at higher cognitive level of understanding,  ICT- driven education should be adopted to impact  equitable access, quality and cost of education.

Key words: Education, Sub-Saharan Africa, higher educational institutions, universities.