Don advocates THM to bridge research-policy gap in Nigeria
By Muizdeen Adewole and Abubakar Abdulquadri
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Hillside University of Science and Technology, Okemesi, Ekiti State, Prof. Babatunde Olufemi Adebesin, has advocated a deliberate and institutionalised synergy among academia, government and industry as a panacea for Nigeria’s persistent failure to translate University research into public policy.
Advocating the Triple Helix Model(THM) as the way forward, the don stressed that sustainable national development is only possible when government, industry and academia operate as interdependent helices rather than isolated silos.
The call was made by the renowned Space Physicist while facilitating the monthly colloquium series of the Association of West Africa Universities (AWAU) held virtually last Saturday (October 10, 2026).
Speaking on the theme, “Beyond Publications: Measuring University Impact in Converting Research to Sustainable Development Policy Outcomes,” Prof. Adebesin lamented that despite the huge intellectual capital domiciled in Nigerian universities, research findings continue to gather dust on library shelves while the nation grapples with avoidable policy failures.
Citing his recent study published in Earth and Space Science, the don revealed a worrying picture of Africa’s global scientific footprint. According to him, Africa contributes only 3.2% of the world’s publication volume and a paltry 5.0% of global citation counts. Within Africa, he noted, South Africa leads with 40.9% (936) of publication output, followed by Nigeria with 14.3% (326) and Egypt with 13.6% (310), while citation impact remains heavily skewed.
Prof. Adebesin explained that the crisis goes beyond publication numbers to utilisation. Presenting results from a pilot case study of 114 respondents comprising 64% faculty members, 47% PhD holders, and stakeholders drawn from Federal (20%), State (23%) and Private Universities (43%), he identified major barriers preventing university research from influencing public policy in Nigeria.
According to the findings, Political interference, lack of political will, corruption and government interests ranked highest at 34.2%, followed by Weak collaboration and Research-Policy gap otherwise known as Town-Gown disconnect at 23.7%. Other inhibiting factors include Poor communication and translation of research findings (15.8%), Inadequate research funding and grants (14.0%), and Poor research quality and the ‘publish or perish’ syndrome (7.9%).
To drive home his advocacy, the scholar presented real-life case studies to show the cost of ignoring scientific evidence.
In one of the case studies, he recalled how in March 2022, space weather agencies in the United States and United Kingdom accurately predicted mild to moderate geomagnetic storms for March 14 and 15, 2022, and prepared their power infrastructure accordingly. On those same days, he said, Nigeria experienced a widespread national grid collapse, with 19 power plants recording zero output, as reported by The Punch newspaper of March 15, 2022.
He then asked, “Could this collapse of the national grid occurring on the same days as the geomagnetic storm be mere coincidence?”. “This is a classic case of the possible effect of Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GICs) on power grid failure that proactive policy based on available space science research could have mitigated,” he said.
Prof. Adebesin further illustrated the trust deficit that undermines research impact using the “Research in Academia” Mona Lisa continuum, where the original idea conceptualised in a Principal Investigator’s mind becomes distorted through grant proposals, experiments, conference presentations and journal submissions, until what is eventually published bears little resemblance to societal needs.
He called on the Federal Government to increase research funding, demonstrate political will, institutionalise evidence-based policy frameworks, and create formal channels for researchers to interface with policymakers.
He also charged universities to prioritise relevant, solution-driven research, improve research communication beyond academic journals, and build public trust through research integrity.
Prof. Adebesin concluded that Nigeria can no longer afford to treat university research as an academic ritual, adding that bridging the gap between knowledge production and policy implementation is not optional but existential for national development.
The highly interactive colloquium, which drew participants from universities across West Africa, including the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, and other Principal Officers.
