Osun State University’s college of health sciences on Thursday August 8, 2019 held the 2019 annual college lecture with the theme “Collaborative research; a tool in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals in resource constrained settings” at the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Auditorium to examine how academic staff can engage in collaborative research as a meaningful tool in the pursuit of the attainment of the SDGs.
The lecture which was delivered by Professor Ebenezer O Farombi, a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Toxicology, based at the University of Ibadan had in attendance all the principal officers of the university, provosts, professors, lecturers and students of the university.
A brief charge was given by the Chairman, Planning Committee, Dr A.G. Omisore followed by a welcome address by the Provost. Dr. O. Omobuwa who also read the impressive citation of the guest lecturer. A peep into the citation showed that back in 2005, he was cited and listed among top ten productive researchers in University of Ibadan who contributed research articles within a ten year frame and ten years later, following the inaugural February 2015 Webometric Ranking of Nigerian scientists, he was Top-rated (Ranked Number 1 Nigerian Scientist) according to google scholar citations with nearly ten thousand citations. Indeed, four of his former postgraduate students are now full Professors in various Universities in the country. The lecture proper was instructive and clearly delivered with an unusual level of expertise.
The Guest Lecturer stated that a major challenge with African researchers is that researchers get into international collaborations as subordinates and they remain in that same position instead of moving up on the rungs of the ladder by making impactful and undeniable contributions. He stressed further that “Research collaboration” is key to meeting SDGs and emphasized the role of Universities. He particularly focused on how African universities can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through capacity building, collaboration, and engagement with government and industry. He further opined that Africa lacks university-based research which is critical in achieving sustainable development and delivering on the SDGs. Thereafter he posited that Research collaboration is key to meeting SDGs-role of Universities and that Universities in general and UNIOSUN in particular should explore collaborative research at all levels. He challenged African universities to go beyond being undergraduate training institutions as this is a myopic/ self-limiting dream that will take us nowhere.
Furthermore he stated that real research, especially applied research is not part of their programmes and that the research output in Africa is abysmal with African research accounting for only 1% of global output, with most of it coming out of South Africa where it was concentrated in certain universities. Funding of research was another problem with the proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) going towards research in nine African countries averaging 0.5%.
He concluded that Universities could help to contribute to achieving the SDGs through capacity building, collaboration, and greater engagement with government and industry.
“To attain the SDGs-Role of Universities, Universities must be Research informed, Research based, Research active, Research led and driven, and Research intensive” Farombi added.
In closing, the Dipo Fasina prize for the overall graduating student (2017/2018 session) was won by Miss Yetunde Akinlaja of Physiology Department (CGPA 4.81) and the award was presented by the representative of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Anthony Kola-Olusanya.