Women, Leadership and Mentoring in Higher Education in Africa: Barriers and Possibilities

African women historically, have proved themselves to be astute managers of home and local economies, due to their triple roles, yet many higher education (HE) institutions globally and in Africa in particular perceive women as unqualified for substantive leadership positions. These institutions seem to regard leadership as a male feature in which women are not substantively represented, thus disregarding the norms of social justice. However, while there are attempts made by women to mount administrative positions, mentoring strategies to ensure sustainable development of these women and their success are limited. Thus the paper aims at contributing to the discussion on the status of women in leadership and mentoring in Higher Education in Africa, contributing factors, barriers and possibilities.