Access, quality and global access to higher education in AfricaIntroductionAccording to the United Nations Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), access to education is “access must be matched by quality” (UNESCO, 2016. Themes: Education for the 21st century section, para. 2) . More than ever, the possibilities offered by information and communication technologies (ICT) have expanded access to affordable higher education to underrepresented populations in developed and developing countries (Olcott, 2013 ). This is all the more true as open education, i.e. open distance learning (ODL) and open educational resources (OER), provide affordable access to higher education. Expanding access to higher education must ensure equal distribution of resources for all: that the same quality of education is available to all. privileged groups that have historically had access to higher education and adequate resources are available to groups historically excluded from access to and benefits of higher education; that in the case of South Africa, the government and stakeholders ensure that apartheid admission preferences are eradicated in order to level the playing field (Naidoo, 1998); that deserving students from an underserved or disadvantaged group have access to higher education; and finally, that the use of technology as a means of expanding access through open and distance learning (ODL), not only enables access to higher education, but also offers programs high-quality educational courses, compatible with the labor market at an affordable price. cost to learners (McMillan Cotton, Additionally, the State of Education in Africa Report 2015 (SEAR) reports that only 6% of university-age students in sub-Saharan Africa are students, compared to 26% of students who are in the same age group, globally. Furthermore, the professor/student ratio is 50% higher in African universities than in universities worldwide (SEAR, 2015). . if they achieve the objectives of UNESCO in providing equitable and quality education to