Research, crucial to solving Africa’s problem, says Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that research and innovation are necessary ingredients to solve the developmental challenges confronting African countries.

He subsequently tasked leaders, civil society and private organisations to fund and find solutions through research to the numerous problems in the region.

Osinbajo stated this at the convocation lecture of the Lagos State University (LASU) where he spoke on “African Centres of Excellence (ACE) in African Universities: A Veritable Catalyst for Nation Building and Development.”

At the lecture were former Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, who chaired the occasion; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; the institution’s Chancellor, Justice Adesola Oguntade (rtd); Pro-Chancellor, Prof Adebayo Ninalowo; Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagboun and principal officers of the university, among others.

The Vice President, who identified education as the most powerful force for socio-economic change in the world, said the nation’s institutions as centres of excellence must be at the apex of the educational system and must attract the financial resources that confer them with operational autonomy and for the conduct of stellar research.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had designed a three-fold plan to improve educational outcomes by training this generation of students on how to function in a knowledge-driven economy.

Mahama, who urged African universities to move away from the colonial system of education and focus on science and technology, warned political institutions against interfering with the running of academic institutions.

He said African universities must be adequately funded to become centres of excellence.

The former Ghanaian President urged greater collaboration among African universities, saying they could have multiple campuses for different specialisations in different countries to bridge the gap by focusing on science, technology and innovation, which could be the catalyst for the development of the region.