Cyriacus Nnaji
The Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning (NAEAP) has called for enhanced collaborative researches among the academia, policymakers, educators and communities in Sub Saharan Africa countries.
The chairman of NAEAP, Lagos State chapter, Dr Oyeyemi Ayoola took the position while delivering a paper as the Keynote Speaker at the 5-Day NAEAP International Conference themed ‘Educational Research in Sub-Sahara Africa’ which commenced on Monday, 22nd May and ended on Friday, 26th May 2023, at the Fourah Bay College Multipurpose Hall, University of Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone.
Ayoola spoke on a paper titled “Collaboration towards a Sustainable Educational Research for Innovation, Security Networking and Socio-economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa”. She stated “There is need for enhanced collaborative researches among the academia, policymakers, educators and communities in Sub Saharan Africa countries.”
The Keynote speaker equally reiterated the need for African researchers to make themselves and their researches available and visible to the global community.
Dr. Oyeyemi Ayoola while delivering her address asserted that the purpose of the conference was to inspire diversity of discussions that would lead to regional policy recommendations; form the basis of collaboration towards sustainable educational research; engender innovation promotion, security networking and socioeconomic development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
She further said “The collaboration between researchers, policymakers, educators and communities may assist the development of evidence-based strategies that can address the region’s most pressing challenges. Collaborative research may assist to increase the likelihood of research uptake and impact through the involvement of stakeholders in the research process which may in-turn help to ensure that research findings are widely disseminated and the developed strategies for implementation are shared.”
Dr. Ayoola noted that collaborative research would address security challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Regional Security, National Security, Internal Security, International Security, Food Security, Ecological Security and Corporate Security, by identifying the root causes of conflict, promoting social cohesion and inclusion, and developing strategies to prevent and resolve conflict.
Other paper presenters include Professor Afolakemi Oredein, who is the Provost of the Postgraduate College, Lead City University, Ibadan. In her paper titled “Innovative Research and Security for Development in Sub-Sahara Africa” she dwelt on the challenges being faced by countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa particularly in the area of “insecurity” and posited that this challenge and other challenges of development can only be surmounted by collaborative researches. She identified issues of government commitment to funding developmental and action researches while advocating the establishment of more research institutes that can cover all areas of researches and thereby promote excellence that is needed for total development of the African Communities.
The NAEAP National President, Prof. Gospel Kpee presented the second Lead Paper via video conference platform. His presentation was titled “Asking and Challenging Education to Answer the Big Question: Education for what in Sub-Saharan Africa? The Development, Innovation and Security Perspectives”.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, fnli, ably represented at the conference by the Head of Department, Educational Management and President, NAEAP Lagos State University Branch, Prof. M.O.B Mohammed noted that the conference would foster a robust relationship with the University of Sierra Leone while enhancing the global visibility of Lagos State University in being the best in West Africa.
At the end of the conference NAEAP issued a communique calling for urgent need for adequate collaborative researches among Africans in areas of researches to help move forward the continent; that there was an urgent need for increase funding of education and researches since teaching/learning and research can only take place in adequately funded environment. The participants also called for availability of infrastructure such as energy and telecommunication describing it as a critical need in African universities. NAEAP also agreed that African Universities need to seek innovative ways of collaboration and different sources of financing their researches outside government and private proprietor funding.
The conference was declared open by the Vice Chancellor of United Methodist University in Sierra Leone, Prof Ekundayo J. D. Thompson, while the opening ceremony was addressed by His Excellency, the VCP of the University of Sierra Leone.
In a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of Sierra Leone, Professor Brigadier Foday Sahr, the LASU helmsman asserted that students of the University of Sierra Leone are highly welcome to have their Internship in Lagos State University with full accommodation provision for them, and that lecturers can come to LASU for their sabbatical or as an external examiner and vice versa. She also stated further that there can be collaborative research and hyperlinking between lecturers in the two universities that will bring about transformation to the Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of Sierra Leone, Professor Brigadier Foday Sahr, appreciated the Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello and commended her on the good works she has been doing to ensure the University is always on the limelight for good reasons. He suggested that the two universities work together to generate MoU, have a joint research collaboration which will be of great advantage to both universities and more interestingly, help resolve the problem of accessibility to external examiners often encountered by the University.
The highpoint of the 2nd International Conference of NAEAP in Sierra Leone was the presentation of awards of Effective Leadership to the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, mni, fnli, and Vice Chancellor and Principal, University of Sierra Leone, Professor Brigadier Foday Sahr.
Universities in attendance include Lagos State University, University of Ibadan, Lead City University, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Sierra Leone, United Methodist University (Sierra Leone), University of Makeni (Sierra Leone), African Methodist Episcopal University, Liberia amongst others.
