Although tertiary education in Africa preceded developments in Europe and the West, the growth of the modern African University has not been without its challenges. These have included, among others, funding problems, access issues, overall low enrolment figures, an ageing professoriate, inadequate digital technology, staff brain drain, staff recruitment difficulties, and the general problem of unsatisfied demand. These challenges represent and bring with them a wide range of inequalities. However, for adult learners requiring innovative solutions to the problem of access, distance education, first as correspondence education, has served as a major mitigation. Distance education relies extensively on technology, whether print or electronic, for mediating instruction. In its role of tackling inequalities in educational provisions, especially in opening up access, various forms of interventions have been seen. This paper examines the role of distance education in the provision of access

Keywords

Brain drain · distance education · distance education – Africa · national qualifications frameworks · Open Educational Resources · tertiary education in Africa