TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND DIGITAL INNOVATION IN AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE INSTITUTIONAL GROWTH

This study examined transformational leadership and digital innovation as strategies for achieving sustainable institutional growth in African higher education institutions. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population comprised academic and administrative staff of selected higher education institutions in Africa, while a sample of 300 respondents was selected using multistage sampling techniques. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation, while multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings are based on an illustrative dataset developed for instructional purposes. The results indicated that transformational leadership had a significant positive influence on digital innovation (r = 0.742, p < 0.001). Digital innovation also had a significant positive relationship with sustainable institutional growth (r = 0.781, p < 0.001). Furthermore, transformational leadership and digital innovation jointly explained 71.6% of the variation in sustainable institutional growth (R² = 0.716; F = 178.54; p < 0.001). The study concludes that transformational leadership and digital Innovation is a critical driver of sustainable institutional growth in African higher education institutions. It recommends increased investment in digital infrastructure, leadership development, staff capacity building, supportive government policies, and strategic partnerships to strengthen institutional resilience and global competitiveness.