This article discusses and analyses the emergence of globalisation and its impact on developments within the African continent. Africa's response at a regional level through the New Partnership for Africa's Development and at a subregional level through the Southern African Development Community's "Protocol on Education" come under scrutiny. These developments, coupled with proposals to liberalize education through the General Agreement on Trade Services (GATS), affect the future of higher education in Africa. Drawing from the experiences of higher education in South Africa, the article poses policy issues arising from the liberalisation of education through GATS. It concludes by suggesting the use of regional and subregional initiatives, resources, expertise, and plans to negotiate the best possible policies for the African continent without foregoing the role of the state in these processes. (Contains 2 tables and 3 notes.)