Egbewole leads call for stronger research culture among W/African varsities
By Tajudeen Babamale
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Association of West Africa Universities (AWAU), Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, has led a renewed call on West African universities to strengthen research culture, embrace innovation, and deepen regional collaboration to advance development in the sub-region.
The call formed part of the resolutions at the 11th Annual Conference and 13th Annual General Meeting of the Association held from Tuesday, February 17, to Friday, February 20, 2026 at the Foreign Service Academy, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The conference was declared open by the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, who was represented by the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Timothy Kabba.
The Sierra Leonean President commended the decision to grant the country the hosting rights and noted that the conference came at a time when the country is serving as the Chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). He assured the Association of government support in advancing intellectual engagement on innovation and quality assurance.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the Conference, participants observed that many universities in West Africa remain heavily dependent on Western frameworks for initiating, validating and publishing research, a situation that often shapes research priorities and funding directions away from local development needs.
Another concern raised was the inadequate integration of indigenous knowledge systems into mainstream academic research despite their potential contributions to locally driven innovation and development.
Participants also noted that regulatory and accreditation differences across the region sometimes limit seamless collaboration and academic mobility among universities.
To address these challenges, the Conference resolved that universities in the region should strengthen research sovereignty by developing internationally recognised regional journals and improving local peer-review and quality assurance mechanisms.
Participants also called on universities to strategically integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into teaching, research and governance in order to support scientific advancement and economic development.
The Conference, which was chaired by Prof. Egbewole, also resolved that the linguistic, cultural and institutional diversity of West Africa should be embraced as a strength capable of enriching research collaboration and knowledge exchange among universities.
Regulatory bodies were also urged to harmonise qualification frameworks and accreditation systems in order to facilitate academic mobility and strengthen cross-border research partnerships.
In addition, the Conference explained the need to deepen the triple-helix model of collaboration involving universities, industry and government as a means of promoting innovation-driven development in the sub-region.
Participants were consequently charged to build sustainable research ecosystems, align innovation with robust quality assurance systems and promote Africa-led research agendas grounded in indigenous knowledge and global best practices.
To advance these objectives, the leadership of the Association was mandated to seek an audience with the Chairman of the ECOWAS to consolidate its strategic plans aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in higher education and research.
The conference attracted participants from several countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Morocco, with participants commending the Government of Sierra Leone and the Local Organising Committee for successfully hosting the Conference.
Goodwill messages were also delivered by several stakeholders in higher education, including the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who stressed the importance of strengthening quality assurance mechanisms and regional academic cooperation among universities in West Africa.
The Consortium of Kwara Universities (KU8+), represented by the Vice Chancellor of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Prof Shaykh Luqman Jimoh, as well as the representatives of the Association of African Universities (AAU), also presented solidarity messages.
