Experts Urge Research That Drives National Development

Nigerian academics and research experts have urged universities and scholars to move beyond academic publications and ensure that research findings translate into practical solutions to national challenges.

The experts made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the Second Annual Research Week of the National Open University of Nigeria, themed “Trans-disciplinary Research, Innovation and Creativity: Pathways to National Development.”

Declaring the event open, NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, challenged researchers to ensure that their findings are converted into innovations, policies and solutions capable of transforming society.

Uduma said research should progress through knowledge generation, validation, dissemination, adoption, adaptation, implementation, evaluation and impact.

He called for stronger collaboration among researchers across disciplines and between universities and wider society, noting that challenges such as climate change, food insecurity, public health, artificial intelligence and insecurity require multidisciplinary approaches.

The vice-chancellor also urged Nigerian scholars to deepen research into African realities and indigenous knowledge systems, stressing that the country and the continent should not remain consumers of knowledge produced elsewhere.

The Convener of the Research Week and Director, Directorate of Research Administration, Prof. Gloria Anetor, said the programme was designed to move research beyond publications to tangible impact.

Anetor said the initiative would connect disciplines, stimulate innovation, strengthen partnerships and promote the use of research evidence in policymaking. She added that young academics and postgraduate students would benefit from mentorship, networking, research presentations and exposure to emerging research methodologies.

In his keynote address, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Prof. Ebenezer Farombi, said Nigeria had no shortage of problems, talent or ideas but needed stronger systems for connecting knowledge and creativity to the challenges that matter most.

Farombi called for a shift from disciplinary silos to collaboration, and from knowledge generation to innovation, enterprise and measurable impact.

He said national development required the convergence of knowledge, innovation, creativity and action.