The cultural validity of a psychological or educational theory is a function of its sensitizing and heuristic power for a given task addressed by a given community. African universities have inherited from the West a number of institutionalized arrangements for learning that tend to decontextualize the learning process by extracting learners from everyday life. The challenge of adapting university education to the needs and aspirations of an African, postcolonial state is approached in this paper from a theoretical perspective on situated learning and participatory appropriation. A pedagogical rationale is advanced for student project-based learning, as affording students unique opportunities to test formal theories against reality; preparing them for practical challenges in the world of work; and inviting them to confront indigenous interpretations of experience. In addition, some projects incorporate a dimension of community service that facilitates public appraisal of universities as engaged and valuable resources for the wider society. (Contains 13 notes.)