Nation
Don Seeks Better Synergy Between Academia, Manufacturing Industries
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Prof Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, has advocated better synergy between the academia and manufacturing industries.
Jimoh said the commercialisation of research ideas was capable of promoting economic growth for accelerated national development.
He said this on Saturday during the maiden edition of the Quadruple Helix roundtable meeting organised by KWASU Centre for Entrepreneurship and the University-Industry Relations Committee.
The Tide’s source reports that the roundtable was themed “Commercialisation of Research Output: Key to National Development”.
The Acting Vice Chancellor said the roundtable brought together the academia, government, industries and communities together to brainstorm on mutually beneficial ways to forge a path to national development.
“We are privileged to stand at the crossroads of the academia, industries, government and the communities converging in the pursuit of knowledge, innovation and collective growth in the dazzling expanse of the knowledge universe.
“This is in the situation where academia sparks innovation, where industry transforms ideas into products and services, where governments provide the infrastructure and environment for growth, and where the community reaps the rewards of our collective efforts.
“The future prosperity of our nation depends on our capacity to not only push the boundaries of knowledge, but also to bridge the divide between the lab and the market.
“We are here because we believe that true national development rests on the commercialisation of the brilliant transformative ideas born in our research institutions”, he said.
Jimoh added that it was necessary, now than before, for transformative ideas from research institutions to go beyond the confines of the academia into the realms of industry and entrepreneurship.
“The transformational power of research knows no bounds as it has the potential to revolutionise industries, cure diseases, mitigate environmental crisis, and enhance the quality of life for people around the world”, he added.
An industry consultant, Mr Deji Ajani, urged the academia to begin to conceptualise research as much more than just a criteria for getting promotion, but also as an avenue for creating enterprise.
He called on the government and universities to provide infrastructure that will further encourage researchers to become intentional about their research and to commercialise the research output.
This, he said, would generate interest and investment in emerging areas of research.
Ajani said this would in turn improve access to research funding, job creation, scope and quality of innovation, growth of spinoffs, and economic sustainability of universities.
Earlier, the Director of KWASU Centre for Entrepreneurship, Dr Sunday Ojo, identified the growing challenge of unemployment in the country as solvable, with the robust ideas constantly being generated by the academia.
He called for more collaboration between stakeholders, which he described as long over due.
On his part, the Chairman of the University-Industry Committee of KWASU, Dr Aliru Mustapha, said a synergy between academia and industry would see companies tapping into the potentials of ivory towers for the benefit of all.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3