In this article it is argued that journalism education in Southern Africa must contend with defining a new academic identity for itself, extricating itself from dependency on Western oriented models of journalism education and training, as this has been a perennial challenge in most of Africa.

The focus of this paper is on library development in contemporary African society. A discussion of library development in the context of countries now enjoying rapid economic development is attempted here. Focusing on countries undergoing rapid economic development brings an alternative perspective to an analysis of library development in Africa and helps us to understand not only what is lacking but also what is going well as a basis for future development. The paper is divided into three parts: one that considers the contemporary landscape of librarianship in Africa; one that describes the characteristics of African society; and one that concerns the major role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) have played in the renaissance of libraries in Africa. Several drivers of change in African library development stand out-most notably: 1) the achievement of stronger economic circumstances; 2) the increased prevalence of ICTs and access to the internet; 3) expanded public awareness of the value of libraries in society; and 4) partnership between the new generation of government leaders and partner agencies that are more focused on social impact than maintaining influence and dominance.

The infusion of technology into Open and Distance Learning (ODL) practices was nothing new at the University of Namibia (UNAM) during the emergence of Covid-19. The Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) (previously the Centre for Open, Distance and eLearning (CODeL) at UNAM, focuses on leading learning innovations and was tasked with developing innovative approaches during the Covid-19 pandemic’s lockdown period, which remain relevant beyond the pandemic. // This study examined how CILT as an academic support Centre in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) supported efforts of various Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), to keep student learning of all modes of study (face-to-face, online, ODL) open, during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was achieved through the creation and implementation of a Rapid Development Process (RDP) as part of learning design capacity development initiatives and a Creative Commons ascribed resource website, focusing on Learning Design and Digital Assessment resources. The RDP resources were workshopped with various Namibian Universities and an African University. As part of the methodology, the study adopted a single case study research design and used a structured workshop evaluation survey and secondary sources as data collection instruments. // The findings of the study reveal overall satisfaction with the RDP workshop approach and topics covered, as well as its relevance to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of participants. Most of the participants indicated that they only started to engage in online teaching and online assessment activities because of institutional strategies that were forced by Covid-19. // The study concludes that the RDP workshops were well-structured and had a positive impact as the learning experiences gained can be practiced in participants’ institutional contexts and as part of the new norm in HEIs.

The study looked at scholarly communication with great emphasis being placed on the value of institutional repositories (IR) and electronic portfolios (EP) at the University of Namibia. The methodology adopted for the study was a qualitative design which included interviews and content analysis of relevant literature. The study provides an insight into key terms such as scholarly communication, open access (OA), institutional repository (IR) and electronic portfolios. The authors argue that IRs and e-portfolios complement each other as tools for a scholarly communication process since their role is to provide open access literature, and provide a platform of a usage-reporting service which gives authors and their institution information on how the content of the repository is being used. In the discussion, the study describes the implementation of the Scholarly Communication in Africa Programme (SCAP) at the University of Namibia which was spearheaded by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and highlights some of the challenges faced which include absence of a dedicated institutional intellectual property (IP) policy, lack of interest by academics to share their artifacts or publications and limited skills and capacity on the part of personnel working on the project.

Guidelines on open and distance learning for youth and adult literacy, by the UNESCO Institute of Lifelong Learning and the Commonwealth of Learning, sets the scene with noteworthy messages from the Director, UNESCO Institute of Lifelong Learning (UIL), and the President and CEO from the Commonwealth of Learning (COL).The publication highlights the progression of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) for youth and adult learners as an alternative to traditional education delivery, reinforcing the importance of change, and updating and reimagining existing practices taking cognisance of the context and needs of youth and adult learners, especially after the significant disruptions of COVID-19 on the education system. It further elaborates on the existing literature regarding adult literacy programmes and educational provision employing ODL, but asserts that "no specific guidelines for planning, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating youth and adult literacy programmes using ODL have been published to date" (p. 2). It is estimated that 773 million youth and adults, the majority being women, lack literacy skills, which are fundamental for growth. The recommendations contained within these guidelines are critical for institutions and literacy training providers, focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through socio-economic transformation and ensure the right to education. The aim of this book in the form of guidelines is to "offer an introduction to and guidance on the design of ODL programmes for youth and adults who lack basic literacy and numeracy skills" (p. 3), featuring issues that youth and adult learners face. The book is organised into, two key parts: Part 1 focuses on the four key steps for planning and implementing ODL programmes for youth and adult literacy, and Part 2 focuses on media and technologies for literacy.