It is absolutely essential to reassert the primary, irreducible responsibility of the state for the establishment and maintenance of an adequate higher education system, while the restoration of the “public good” dimension of higher education is key for the revitalisation of higher education in Africa and to ensure the maximum social benefit from it. This is according to a paper from the Association of African Universities (AAU) that looks at the challenges to the university sector in Africa in the context of the current global political economy.