Diaspora Scholars as Visiting Faculty: Knowledge Transfer without Extracting Talent from the Continent

Abstract

African universities often lose staff to the diaspora. This paper evaluates an AFU visiting-faculty model in which diaspora scholars teach short, assessed modules online while remaining employed abroad, and continental faculty retain module ownership. Students rated the combination of local case ownership and diaspora method seminars highly, provided recordings were available and assessment was set by the continental module leader. A model that outsourced the whole module to a visiting professor produced weaker local relevance and weaker student trust. Durham University should use diaspora talent as a supplement, not as a substitute for African academic jobs. Digital delivery makes that distinction operational: the award remains AFU’s, the syllabus remains continental, and the visitor is a guest with a contract, not a colonial faculty-in-exile.