Analysing the (lack of) fundraising capability and practice in Namibia’s Public Universities: An RBV perspective

Abstract

Financial sustainability is a critical challenge for public universities in both the Global North and the Global South. This is due to the process of globalisation which has created a policy environment that has led to a reduction in public spending on higher education. Coupled with the fragility of African economies, this environment has resulted in the reduced and ever-declining public funding for universities such the two public universities in Namibia.

These developments are placing significant pressures on universities in many countries, including Namibia, forcing institutions to develop and implement strategies that will ensure their financial sustainability and deliver on their mandates. Universities are having to harness their competitive resources as they seek to attain competitive advantage in fundraising from philanthropy.

It is therefore timely and necessary to explore the extent to which the Namibian public universities leverage their reputations for fundraising; the architecture of their networks of relationships, in particular their alumni relations - both as ambassadors and as sources of funds; their innovative capabilities to execute fundraising programmes, their core competencies in the fundraising process, and their knowledge-based advantages in their fundraising strategies especially as embedded in their leadership and organisational structures.

This study attempted to answer these questions through exploratory comparative case studies of the two public universities in Namibia. The results showed an appreciation and common understanding within the universities about the importance of those competitive resources and revealed key insights into the fundraising practices of the respective universities. It is hoped that this study will assist university leaders and policy makers to reflect on the need for a strategic approach to fundraising, grounded in the visions and competitive resources of the respective Namibian public universities and the necessity to avoid emulating the practices of others without strategic consideration of their own competitive resources and context.

Date of Award	28 Jun 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	John Brennan (Supervisor) & Dan Davies (Supervisor)