Academic sector needs
to build linkages
The academic sector in Nigeria cannot
continue to operate as if in isolation, as
if their only role is to churn out a fresh
line of graduates every year into the
labor market. There is first of all, a
need to ensure that academic programs
meet the needs of today‘s economy and
the demands of tomorrow‘s. With so
many opportunities for
entrepreneurship in Nigeria across the
entire international business value
chain, there is a need for universities,
institutions of higher learning and
vocational/technical education
providers to deliver training that equips
graduates to take advantage of these
opportunities.
Secondly, Universities in Nigeria really
need to improve their research
capacities significantly. The research
output from Nigerian universities is
way too low compared to far smaller
higher institutions in higher-income
(and more innovative) countries. Also,
research conducted at Universities
rarely finds their way into the public
domain for onward translation into
innovative products and services. We
need to look at creating platforms
where researchers in the academic
sector can share their research with
off-takers in the private sector, and that
leads to innovation.
There is also a need for more research
institutes and think-tanks in Nigeria.
Compared to high-income economies,
there is a dearth of research
institutions and think-tanks in Nigeria
considering the number of issues that
need addressing in this country. It is
literally impossible to overstate the
need for more local research to help us
all understand the real challenges which
businesses in the non-oil sectors face
currently, and to help carve policies
tailored to those challenges.
Innovation thrives on research,
specifically research that links to real-
world problems. In other words,
improving the innovation capacity and
the competitiveness of Nigeria‘s
economy will depend to a large extent
on linkages between research providers
(universities, research institutes, think-
tanks, etc) and industry in Nigeria.