I am in Accra on the same the day that Barack Obama visited, and I listened to him deliver an inspiring and memorable speech in his ever so charismatic and eloquent style.  I had mixed feelings.

I was happy that he did not hold back or minced words in speaking the truth to die hard, stay long African leaders.

But I also have this rather sad and shameful feeling that African presidents needed to be reminded by another peer president of what their obligations and responsibilities should be in simple words and terms so basic that any one could have uttered them in precisely the same forms and ways but they would hold not much meaning except if they came from an Obama.

Now, will it make sense?

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If the statistics of primary and secondary school enrollment sits at 150 pupils (in the place of thousands) in the Niger Delta, and if at the higher levels, only a few African students are ’schooled’ by professors to carve knowledge spaces for themselves in the future, then the future picture of Africa in the knowledge arena is scary.

If a recent ICT4D conference and a number of other fora where future interventions in the development area, intellectual property, education, governance, has anything to go by, where no, or perhaps one or two Africans can (or are allowed to attend due to travel restrictions, etc), then the future is bleak and worrying.

So education needs in Africa has to be looked at again. At all level, primary and tertiary, most especially. Not so much from redefining curriculum but specific attempts at changing enrollment rates, basic issues as changing the deplorable lives and living conditions of teachers and professors for the better, paying particular attention to research and development and giving support and funds to a massive Doctoral program.